Fallout 3: The Wandering Path
by Jshep16653
Summary: They are mercs, plain and simple. They have morals, but those morals are for sale. They are hardened, disciplined, and willing to make hard choices. It figures, then, that they would get stuck with some kid from a vault who knows nothing. Join this unlikely trio as they are sucked into the the path of the Lone Wanderer.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Fallout or any of its products. This is simply for the enjoyment of any and all who are interested. This is my first fanfic so please take it easy on me. Thanks and enjoy.**

Chapter 1

As Luther and Tyler enter the saloon all conversations quiet. The patrons refuse to look up at them, instead staring down into their drinks. There is a slight pause, and then the duo cross the saloon to sit at the bar. A collective breath of relief is released as the patrons realize that they are not here for any of them. Gob, the saloon's ghoul bartender, approaches, cleaning a shot glass with a rag. "Can I get you two anything?" he asks with the rasp all ghouls have

Luther is secretly relieved that no one has gone for their weapons yet. Granted, most Megaton settlers likely cannot even afford a proper weapon, but still. After what happened last time the two of them came through here, he expected something much more unfriendly.

"Two beers," Tyler growls beside him, "and if you have any med-x or buffout we will take some of those too." Gob nods and reaches under the bar for the drinks. Luther shoots Tyler a look from the corner of his eye. "What," he snaps, "my head is killing me and no matter how much you deny it I know that you want a drink."

Luther opens his mouth to respond, but Gob stands up from under the bar and places two bottles in front of them. The ghoul gives them a discreet nod before going to retrieve Tyler's chems from the back. Tyler immediately starts drinking. Luther just stares hatefully at his before pushing it away and muttering darkly, "I don't drink anymore."

Tyler continues to drown himself and Luther takes a discreet look at the other patrons. Years of intense training followed by just as many years out in the wastes has taught him to never let his guard down. He has been called suspicious, paranoid even, but he, unlike many, is still alive.

There are nine people in the saloon, including the owner, an Irish prick named Moriarty, the town whore Nova, and of course Gob. Besides them there is a couple seated in a corner, a blonde woman, and old man in a mechanic suit who is talking to another patron with an eyepatch. All of these people Luther recognizes slightly from previous visits, but the last patron is a stranger.

The stranger is dressed in a pristine white suit with a black hat. This man is very much out of place, and not just because of his clothes. He has an air to him, a purpose. Megaton settlers are destitute, squatters even. They live out meager lives while trying to ignore the hell that waits just outside of the city walls. Their isolation leads to an unmistakable look, hell the isolation has even driven some of them to worshiping the live atomic bomb at the town center. This man however, he does not have that look.

He wants to stand out, to separate himself from the others. Even with his hat pulled low over his face Luther can see the disdain in the man's eyes as he observes the other patrons. Luther knows the type. He has dealt with people like this before. He also knows that this man in the suit may well be the opportunity he and Tyler are looking for.

He nudges Tyler, "to our right, man in a white suit, might be a possible job there."

Tyler nods and takes a long drink from his beer. "What is his look?" he asks as he cracks his neck. Luther glances back at the man again. The stranger has taken notice of the two of them and is giving them a critical look. Luther can almost see the gears turning in his head, calculating if the two of them are up to his standards.

"High and mighty," Luther replies, turning back to the bar, "like he thinks all the people here are bugs. Annoying bugs that need to be squashed out as soon as possible."

Tyler scoffs, "Not interested. Unlike you and your people I do not involve myself in mass murders, exterminations of towns, or politics of any form."

Luther fixes him with his best death stare. "Listen," he growls, "I realize you don't trust anyone dressed better than us, but we could use the caps. Besides, if he is plotting something then maybe we can stop it and get back some good karma with this town."

Tyler is unimpressed by Luther's glare and only grunts in reply before turning his drink up for another gulp. Luther shakes his head in annoyance and decides he is going to talk to the man despite his partner's attitude. As he stands his attention goes to the door where another person is walking into the saloon. The second his eyes land on the newcomer all sorts of red flags fly up.

The newcomer is wearing a nice leather jacket over what looks to be one of those vault suits. He is carrying a well taken care of 10mm pistol and in his hands is a heavy wooden bat. His hair is short and his young face has only the beginnings of stubble. Maybe only nineteen or twenty, the kid looks very lost.

Without really knowing why, Luther immediately sits back down and stares at his drink. Beside him Tyler scoffs, "Decided against going into the employment of another psychopath?" At the lack of a response he turns to his partner and notices the look on his face. "Luther," he questions, "what is up with…"

Tyler's voice trails off as the newcomer walks up behind them. "Um," the kid mumbles quietly.

"What the hell do you want punk?" Tyler growls, turning to face the kid full on. The venom in Tyler's voice startles the kid who takes a cautious step backwards.

"Uh, nothing," He stammers. He opts to step away and sit down at the bar, right next to Luther. Several long seconds drag by where Luther tries to ignore the kid and Tyler glares at him. Finally Luther turns to look at him. "Is there something you want?" he asks coldly.

The kid swallows noticeably before speaking. "I am looking for my Dad. I was told that some people may have seen him around here earlier."

Luther stares angrily at the kid before rolling his eyes. "Seriously, fuck off kid."

"But…"

"Listen," Luther spits, "we just got here ourselves. We don't know shit about your sorry Dad. Now. Fuck. Off."

The kid's mouth opens and closes a few times as he sits there in stunned silence. He is about to stand up and move when a velvety voice speaks from across the saloon. "Now, now, Luther," Nova coos as she saunters towards them, "is that any way to treat a nice young man like him. What is the problem hun?"

Nova sits down next to the kid and lays a hand on his shoulder. The kid stammers a few times before shrugging her off. "I am looking for my Dad," he repeats, "we came from the vault."

"Well I'll be damned." A new voice comments. "If it isn't the little tyke all grown up and out in the world." Luther looks up and groans inwardly as Moriarty leans against the bar. He does not like the man, and having him this close sets his trigger finger itching.

"You know me?" the kid askes with more than a confused expression on his face. "That can't be right. I was born in the vault."

"Oh I see how it is," Moriarty smiles, "dear ol' dad lied to you. Well that is how it is kid. Welcome to life. People lie. Now why they hell are you here, causing all this ruckus?"

"Says he is looking for his Dad," Nova answers for him. "Didn't he come through here a few days ago?"

Moriarty's smile vanishes as he leans across the bar and smacks Nova. "You need to learn when to keep your fat mouth shut bitch." Luther's hand automatically reaches for the gun at his hip. He has to force himself not to draw the weapon and kill the fucking bastard. Remember, he thinks to himself, you are trying to get back into this towns good graces. "Leave them be Moriarty." Tyler growls beside him. Well, at least I didn't say anything, this time.

Moriarty looks at the two of them and recognition grows on his face. "Well, look here, the two scumbags from the wasteland, back to spend the last of their caps in my establishment. I should remind you that you ought to keep quiet as well, lest I remind these good townsfolk why we kicked you two out last time."

"Now then," he says turning his attention back to the kid, "How about a little deal huh? You really want to know where you dad is, then all you have to do is a small favor for me."

The kid stares at Moriarty, shocked by the violent mood swing he just witnessed in the man. He shakes his head and leans back as he talks, as if trying to get away from the Irishmen. "I just want to know where he is," the kid pleas, "if you know something pleas just tell me."

"I'm afraid that just isn't the way things work up here kid. Nothing is free. You want the information from me, you first have to provide me with payment, of some sort."

"Oh come on Collin," Nova says timidly, "can't you just tell him?" A look from Moriarty shuts her mouth and sends her walking back to her spot by the wall.

The kid sighs and Luther realizes that he is about to take the deal. Before he even finishes thinking it through he interjects, "Name your price." It seems everyone turns to look at him.

"What was that?" Moriarty demands, casting him a warning look.

Luther meets the look with one of his own, "I said, what is your price. For the information." Beside him Tyler sighs heavily as he realizes what his partner intends. Luther sees him shrug his shoulders and down the rest of his beer.

He can see the Moriarty calculating up the sums in his head. A wicked smile plays across his lips. "Since it is you, how about we say, one-hundred caps."

His gut sinks. Seventy six caps is all he and Tyler have between them. If he offers that, they will not be able to pay their tap and then will be in debt to the bastard. He stops to think, and then notices the hand written wanted sight hanging on the wall. "How about this," he replies, his face devoid of emotion, "we take care of your little Silver problem, and then you give us the information?"

The Irishman steps back and crosses his arms as he thinks. "Fine," he snaps after a few seconds, "but I want back all the caps that bitch stole from me, all two-hundred of them."

Luther nods and stands, letting Tyler pay Gob for the drinks and the Chems before walking out. He takes the wanted notice from the wall as he walks out the door, just to get a few more details. The two of them stand just outside the saloon on one of the many catwalks that crisscross the city.

"Just what the hell were you thinking?" Tyler suddenly demands. "Why the fuck did you do that! One second you are ready to take a job from a man who looks the part of a coldhearted killer, the next you selflessly put yourself between Moriarty and some dumbass kid!"

Luther whirls on him, "What was I supposed to do! You know as well as I that Moriarty would have conned that kid out of every cap he has, used him until he was worthless, and then tossed him out the fucking door to the hounds!"

Tyler throws his hands up. "Fine. At least we got a fucking job, which was the whole point of stopping here." He stops and the anger in his eyes grows. "That said, it is a job we are not even going to get paid for, fuck this is stupid!"

"Excuse me," a voice interrupts.

"What!" they shout in unison. They turn to see the vault kid standing there. He shrinks back, holding up his hands.

"If it helps, I can do that job for you." He elaborates after swallowing hard. "I can deal with that, um, bounty if you like. This is my problem after all."

Tyler chuckles and crosses his arms. "Will you look at this? The kid is a boy-scout."

"Listen," Luther sighs," I get that you are trying to look out for your own affairs, but we have already accepted the deal. Honestly I am only doing this to piss that Irish prick off."

The kid shrugs, "Okay, I guess I understand that, but I still want to help. I won't accept charity."

Luther sighs again. He has to admit, the kid is persistent. "Fine," he finally snaps, "but stay behind us and don't get in our way." He turns on his heel and marches towards the town gates. The others fall in line behind him.

As they exit the town the Sheriff, Lucas Simms, gives them a look. Luther nods at him and the sheriff tips his hat. The two of them have never exchanged more than three words in the past, but they have maintained a silent, mutual, agreement. The same agreement most mercenaries have with any and all lawmen. I won't cause trouble in your town, and you leave me be.

As they walk out of Megaton's outer gate Luther notices that the kid is shielding his eyes from the sun. "You said you were from a vault right?" The kid nods, blinking as his eyes adjust. "You never seen the sun before have you. Just what is it like down there?"

The kid shrugs his shoulders. "It, it is a lot different from up here." Luther shoots him a, no shit, look. "Well," he continues, "for starters everything was much cleaner, and less open. Everything is cramped tunnels and tight spaces. Up here it is like being in the atrium, but, bigger."

Tyler shakes his head, "Listen kid, the two of us have been inside abandoned vaults before. We know the physical conditions. I am pretty sure that what Luther is asking about is your society. What are the people like?"

He takes a moment to think. "There isn't a whole lot of privacy. Everyone knows everyone. I guess that we function just like every other group out there. We have a leader, he has his enforcers, and the rest of us just try to fly under the radar. Not much else to tell really."

Luther stops walking and turns to face the kid. "So, no experiments? No crazy mutations, oddities, or anything else out of the ordinary?"

The kid tilts his head to the side with a thoughtful look on his face. "Um, well, I don't know what passes as normal up here…"

Luther laughs, "Nothing does, and at that, everything does." He turns and resumes walking. "All the other vaults that I have been too were built to test something. You know, radiation, food supplies, mental issues, that sort of bull. Yours sounds like it was actually made to save people. Imagine that."

They soon arrive at the bombed ruins of Springvale. The buildings on the streets are nothing more than empty husks now, most don't even have walls anymore. Scavengers long ago picked the place clean so there is no one around, but this is the place where Moriarty's notice claims the woman he is after is hiding.

They poke around for a bit, getting startled only once when an eyebot floats by, broadcasting some bullshit from the Enclave. Luther glares at the little chirping robot, wanting nothing more than to shoot it down and shut up the overly patriotic messages of John Henry Eden, the Enclave's President. However, that would be a waste of ammo.

Eventually they spot a small house on the edge of the ruins that looks to be in fair condition. It is seated next to a hill near the ruins of an elementary school. As they approach, Luther catches whiff of a strong, unmistakable, scent on the wind. His hand goes for the gun at his hip, but it is too late. An explosion goes off to his left and he is thrown to the ground in a shower of debris. His vision swims as he crawls away. Behind him he can here the whooping and shouting of the raiders as they close in on his position. Somehow he manages to drag himself to his feet. A bullet flying by his head sends him leaping for cover though and he once again finds himself sprawled on the ground.

He sits up against the car he has thrown himself behind and shakes his head in an attempt to clear the fuzz. More bullets come his way, causing him to pull his .32 rifle off its bandolier. He flips the safety off and leans out to take aim. Four raiders coming towards him. Six more in the background shooting at one of the ruins, hopefully Tyler has the kid and is digging in there. He sights in one the closest raider's head and fires. The raider's head jerks back as the bullet hits him and sends what little brains he has spraying out the back of his head. The corpse hits the ground and the other three stare at it in shock for a moment before scattering into cover. Luther doesn't wait for them to regain their composure and quickly moves to another position, hoping to flank from the right.

"Where the hell is that bastard!" one of the raider shouts to the others, effectively giving away his position as he leans out of cover. Luther stands briefly and fires off another killing shot. The last two raiders panic and run for the ruins of the old school building. Luther breaks from cover, working the bolt-action of his rifle, gunning down one and wounding the other. He looks over to where the other raiders where heading towards the house ruins to see three dead and the other three making a desperate charge at the house. He drops to one knee and fires off the last round left in his rifle, dropping one of the raiders who screams in agony as the bullet tears open his side, before drawing his combat knife and rushing the remaining two.

One raider turns to face him, holding up a rifle like a club, while the other disappears into the ruins. Luther ducks under the first swing from the raider's gun and jams his knife into the man's side as he tackles him to the ground. He rips the knife out and raises it above his head, intending to finish the man off, but the raider heaves and throws him off before scrambling forward and kicking the knife out of his hands. The man then presses his advantage, kicking savagely at Luther's side. He tries to roll away but the raider dogs him, pinning him down and raining blows onto his head. Luther's hands close around a heavy rock. He twists and brings it down onto the raider's knee. The man howls in pain and collapses to the ground, clutching his shattered kneecap. Luther stands and retrieves his knife. He kneels down and quickly slits the raider's throat. He wipes the blood from the blade as he approaches the house, leaving the raider to bleed out on the dirt.

He steps through a massive hole torn in the side of the house and looks around. There is a stretch of blood leading to where a dead raider lays slumped against a wall. There is a wound in his chest, a large hole, like something that would come from being shot with a shotgun loaded with slugs. "Tyler," he shouts, "where you at?" A small crash behind him causes him to whip around and reach for his gun. He lets out a sigh of relief when Tyler emerges from behind a bookcase where he had taken cover.

"Ha," Tyler laughs, "saw that grenade go off at your feet and those raiders go at you. Thought you were done for. Guess I should know better by now. Where is the kid?" Luther's gut tightens. The kid! Shit! He had forgotten about the fucking kid!

 **Okay, okay, I know that this is something of a cliff hanger, but seriously, do you really think I would just kill off the Lone Wanderer, or would I? The only way for you to find out is to continue.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome to chapter 2. This one will involve a lot more action and some graphic descriptions of battle. A lot of this chapter is influenced by my first play through of the game and how I reacted to seeing the bloody carnage raiders enjoy.**

Chapter 2

There is blood everywhere! Damnit, why does he always have to make such a mess during a firefight! These thoughts along with countless others race through Luther's mind as he desperately searches for signs of where the vault kid might be. The corpses of the dead raiders lay scattered about. Already some carrion birds are circling overhead. His eyes pass over them without thought, taking in their patchwork armor and moving on. The kid's bright blue jumpsuit and leather jacket should stand out against the rest of the wasteland. That Luther cannot see the boy is troubling. Whats more, it would seem there are even more raiders bunkered down in the ruins of the old school.

Tyler was the one who noticed them first. He scared the shit out of Luther when he fired at them without warning. Now Tyler is keeping watch and waiting for Luther to find the kid, or the kid's corpse.

"Um, hey, Luther, you may want to come look at this." Tyler shouts.

Luther looks up from the raider he is searching for ammo to see Tyler motioning him over. He quickly takes the bag of bullets from the raider's belt and hurries to where his partner is standing with his back towards him. "What, did you find something?" he asks as he draws near. Tyler wordlessly shakes his head and points at something in the dirt. Luther looks down and feels his gut tighten even more than it already was. Lying in the dirt not a few feet away is a busted wooden baseball bat. Not far from it is a 10mm pistol surrounded by a large puddle of blood. There are lots of footprints in the dirt all around the area. There is also a trail of blood, like someone wad dragged away, leading towards the school. "Shit."

"The raiders got him." Tyler says quietly. Luther curses and furiously kicks at a bent tin can. He starts pacing, growling like a caged dog. Tyler watches him silently, knowing it is better to just let him work through it on his own. Finally Luther comes to a stop, staring at the school.

"We have to go get him." he thinks out loud. "We can't just leave him in there. Even if he is dead, we have to get his body, or something. Even if all we get is his..." He trails off as something occurs to him. He turns, looking up at the hill where he knows the entrance of vault 101 is. He looks back at the school, and then at the raiders. "What if the attack wasn't random?"

"What?" Tyler asks, unsure if Luther is speaking to him.

"The attack, what if they attacked us for a reason." He steps over and again looks at the number of raider bodies spread about. "You know as well as I that raiders don't usually move about in numbers like this and there are still all those others in the school. Also, they took him, maybe alive. Since when do raiders take bodies back to their bases. Sure they will string up people who enter on their own, but taking bodies back, they would never put forth the effort." He stops pacing and again looks at the school.

Tyler steps up next to him and stokes the beard growing on his face. "So, what are you thinking? Go in there, figure out what is going down, find the kid, get him out, and it does not matter if he is dead or alive?"

Luther answers slowly, his eyes never leaving the school. "Yes."

* * *

Nick slowly starts to wake up. The first thing he is aware of is that he is handing upside down. Next he is hit by a searing pain in his head, and shortly after he realizes that there is blood dripping down his face. He tries to move and finds that his hands are tied to his sides. He strains against the bonds and sends pain shooting through his throbbing head. He gasps in pain and quickly abandons the attempt to wiggle free. A door opens nearby and the sound of boots approach. Someone kicks him, hard. He is sent swinging and he nearly hurls.

"Look at him," a voice sneers above him, the tone nasally and filled with contempt, "we ought to just kill him and take the key off of his arm." Another kick lands on his back and he has to bite his tongue to keep from crying out.

A second voice speaks, this one deeper and more calm. "No, we need him alive for it to work. It is connected to him and will only work for him. If we are to get into the vault, he has to be living."

The fist voice spits, "What if we just cut his arm off? That way we don't have to worry about him trying nothing."

There is a muffled oumf, sound, like someone getting punched, and then a small crash before the second voice speaks again, "I don't want you talking no more. Go tell the others to make sure the path to the tunnel is sealed off all the way. I don't want any more of those ants getting in here and causing any more damage. We are close now, very close, and I won't allow you to fuck it up. Now move!"

One person leaves and slams a door shut. The second voice floats towards Nick again. "As for you," the says, crouching down in front of him, "don't you try nothing either." Nick shutters, the man standing before him is like something straight out of a nightmare. His eyes are red from drugs, his face is covered in a layer of dirt and blood, and his lips are split and chapped. A thick, ragged, black beard encompass his face and a fierce war hawk adorns his head. The raider smiles, revealing a set of crooked yellow and black teeth. At the sight of the smile and the predatory look in the raider's eyes Nick feels a warmth spread out from his crotch. "You won't give me no trouble will ya boy," the raider asks, "no, you won't, because if ya do, my boys and I will eat you." This time Nick does hurl, and it causes the raider to laugh cruelly as he walks out and slams the door, leaving Nick to slip back into darkness.

* * *

Luther edges around the corner carefully. He looks around and surveys the area. The old school is mostly intact, but there is a large portion along the side that has crumbled away. He spots three raiders, each patrolling a different level of the ruins. One on what little is left of the top floor, one on the ground level with him, and the final is below in a sublevel. He draws his knife and takes a deep breath to steady himself. Timing his movements in line with the raiders patrols, he moves into cover behind a large metal desk. Crouched down, he waits for the raider on his level to return along his route. He does not have to wait long.

The raider comes around a corner and walks over to the large opening in the wall through witch Luther had entered. The man stands there, stretching his arms out and yawning. Luther quickly moves into position behind the raider. The man has no chance to cry out as Luther stands and clamps a hand over the man's mouth while slicing open his neck and dragging him behind the desk. Once the body is stashed, he looks for a way to ascend to the top level without being noticed. There is none. The raider woman patrolling the top level is wisely choosing to stay along the far side, close to the rest of the still intact school. Luther grinds his teeth, working through possible ways to proceed in his head, when suddenly there is a commotion inside that draws both of the remaining raiders attentions. The one on the upper level immediately charges inside, while the one below hesitates, unsure of what to do.

Luther does not hesitate. Running toward the ledge above the raider he leaps down upon her shoulders, sending her crashing to the ground with a startled yelp and knocking her weapon away. He quickly kills her and moves inside via a nearby set of double doors. The darkness inside the building is a drastic change from the brightness outside and he has to wait a second for his eyes to adjust. Further into the school he can hear the sounds of gunshots and knows that Tyler is doing his part to distract the raiders and give him time to search for the kid.

He decides his eyes are adjusted enough and quickly ascends a nearby set of stairs to the floor above. Before him is a long stretch of classrooms and empty lockers. Moving cautiously, he begins checking each room. Most are empty, but others show the signs of raider occupancy. Decapitated corpses strung up from ceiling fans, limbless torsos chained to walls, words written with blood and random splotches of tribal paint. Then there is the stench. Raiders do not bathe, why should they? All they care about is getting high, killing, and torture. Years of filth, decay, and unattended bodily fluids all combine to create a smell like no other, one that many wastelanders know of and hope they will never have to experience.

After searching for a few minutes a large explosion rocks the school, causing Luther to almost loose his balance and lean against a wall to keep from falling. He hopes that it was caused by Tyler, and that his partner is holding his own against the raiders. As he reaches the last room to search on the hall two raiders come bursting out of the door! They are crazed, with wild looks in their eyes and empty canisters of jet in their hands. They let out bellowing war cries and charge at Luther, waving about lead pipes! He just manages to duck under an attack from one of the raiders, but the other lands a blow on the back of his leg, forcing him to his knees.

Both raiders come at him and he manages to roll away but the pain in his leg keeps him from standing. The raiders come at him again. He reaches for his gun, but the raiders get there first! He trows up his arms to protect his face and cries out in pain as he feels something shatter as the raiders pummel him. He abandons the idea of his gun and instead throws himself up at the raiders. They are caught off guard by the counter attack, allowing him to tackle them both to the ground. He manages to pin one and pry the weapon out of the raiders hands, but before he can finish the man off the other raiders lands a hard blow on his exposed side. The air rushes out of his lungs as he attempts to stand and regain his footing.

The raider who winded him leaps forward, raising the pipe above his head for a killing blow. Instead of stepping away, Luther steps into the attack, taking the brunt of the damage on his padded leather shoulder armor. He grapples with the raider, punching him again and again in the stomach, before the raider finally sinks to the floor in pain. Luther moves to kick the downed raider in the head and hopefully kill him, but something hard slams into the side of his head, nearly knocking him out. the other raider had thrown his weapon at him.

Luther turns to face the raider and whips out his magnum. The raider's eyes bulge as he realizes he is defenseless and makes to run. Luther pulls the trigger, killing the raider with a perfect shot to the heart. He turns quickly and sends a second bullet through the head of the other raider as he tries to stand, sending him back to the ground.

Both raiders now dead, Luther groans and rolls his shoulder, testing if there is any serious damage. His left arm is broken, that much he can tell just by looking at it, and there is blood spilling down over his right eye and down his leg. He can't feel anything, not yet, the adrenaline is still pumping through his veins, and he decides to move before its affect wears off and leaves him crippled. He limps to the room the raiders came from and looks in. Empty.

He curses angrily and heads for the next hallway. This one is littered with the bodies of raiders. They are scattered all around, as if a deathclaw had found its way in and wrecked the place. One or two are still clinging to life and he quickly dispatches them with a shot to the head. There are only three rooms on this hall. One is barricaded from this side, as if the raiders wanted to keep something big from getting out of the room, and the others are locked. Around the makeshift barricade are the bodies of a few of the massive ants usually found around areas of high radiation. He does not dwell on their presence and instead moves on to checking rooms. He kicks in one door and has to jump out of the way as a steel beam falls from the ceiling. Pain flares up his wounded leg as he lands on it. He grits his teeth to keep from crying out and limps back to the room.

Inside there are a few cases of ammunition and some grenades piled haphazardly in a corner. He pockets all the ammo he can and attaches some of the grenades to his bandolier. He limps back out and heads for the last door on the hall. This time he decides to be more cautious and instead of kicking in the door he keels down, cringing in pain as he bends his knee, and attempts to pick the lock. He stops when he realizes that the sound of fighting above has stopped. That means one of two things, all the raiders are dead, or Tyler is. He starts muttering a long string of curses as he resumes trying to pick the lock.

A long bellowing roar causes him to whip around and aim his magnum. Standing at the base of the stairs leading up to the next level is another raider. This one is covered in blood, chunks of flesh, and dirt. His beard is singed and his war hawk looks like it has been cut away in places. The remains of heavy metal armor cover his body, blacked along the left side, as though he were burned. The bellow continues to flow from the raiders mouth as he charges down the hall towards Luther like a raging bull. Luther fires his magnum. The bullet hits its target, slamming into the mans chest and sending blood into the air, but he keeps moving. Luther fires again, and again, and again until his gun gives off a loud click.

The raider stops a few steps from where Luther lies on the floor, his back leaned against the locked door. The raider stares down at the holes in his torso before lifting his head and locking his blood red eyes with Luther's cold blue ones. Again he bellows and takes a step forward. Luther stairs in a horrified fascination as the man who should be dead moves towards him. The raider takes one final step, towering over Luther, and reaches down to throttle him. The raider's head suddenly disappears along with the sound of a shotgun going off. Blood, chunks of skull bone, and bits of brain spray out, splatting the front of Luther's chest and head. The raider's body falls over his legs and his arms twitch, as if still trying to kill him. He looks up and sees Tyler standing there, looking just as bad as the raider had and covered in twice as much blood. "Teach that bastard to think he can kill me."

Tyler stretches out a hand and helps Luther to his feet. They lean against each other and Tyler blows open the lock on the door. They limp in to see the kid strung up by his feet and unconscious. Luther limps over and cuts the rope holding him up. The kid falls to the floor in a heap and groans, but does not wake. "At least he is alive."

"Yep," shouts Tyler as he bends down and tears a chunk of the dead psycho raider's armor off, "and I got a new shoulder plate. Overall not a bad trip." He doubles over a second later and coughs up a wad of blood. "We should get out of here." he mutters darkly as he wipes his mouth off. Luther nods and pulls the kid up, half dragging him as they struggle towards the entrance. They exit the school and drag the kid towards one of the other ruins. The sun has set outside and they decide to bunker down in the ruin instead of returning to Megaton empty handed. They still have a bounty to collect after all.

Luther splints his arm, injecting himself with a stimpack to numb the pain and speed the healing process along. He then tends to his other wounds. His head is fine, just a minor cut, but there is a jagged cut on the inside of is knee and the joint is swollen bad. He considers taking another stimpack, but decides not to use up his supply too quickly. Instead he just wraps it tightly with some gauze he bought from a traveling merchant a while back. Tyler is in a much worse state than he is, however, and quickly sticks himself with three stimpacks. Tyler's injuries include several bad burns, multiple open cuts ranging in length and depth, three broken fingers, a blackened eye, and some internal bleeding. There are more wounds, but Tyler insists that he will live through them.

Luther knows better than to argue with his partner but secretly promises to get the man to a doctor the next time they are in a town. Even if he has to drug him up to do it. He groans as he lowers himself into what remains of a prewar bathtub. He takes his rifle off of his back and curls up with it like he always does. Ever since he was forced out into the wasteland he has slept with his weapons. It wasn't until a few months of survival that he discovered bathtubs to be a relatively more safe place to sleep than say a mattress or bedroll. No one ever thinks to check a tube. Tyler takes first watch after dumping the kid onto a rotting mattress. Luther's eyes are heavy from the meds he took and from the fighting. Almost as soon as his eyes close he is asleep.

What feels like only a few short seconds later Tyler is shaking his shoulder to wake him up. He groans once but then gets up and moves to stand watch. He sits down in the doorway of the ruined house and looks towards the school. Flames are licking up out of some of the windows to the upper floor and a grim satisfaction fills him. That place deserves to burn.

He stays on watch. Periodically sweeping his gaze over the landscape, constantly alert for danger. A sniffling sound comes from behind him and he turns to see that the kid is awake, and crying into his arms. He turns away with a small scoff. It isn't that he does not feel for the kid, he does, but deeper down he is pissed at him for having gotten them into the mess with the raiders. If it hadn't been for that kid ticking off Moriarty and his own damned sense of right and wrong, they would never have had to go through all of that. He sighs inwardly as he realizes he is being an ass. Sure the kid got them here, and sure he is the one who got caught, but those raiders needed to be dealt with. At least it was them who went in there. Who is going to miss any of them? Two mercs who no one cares about and a kid with no place to call home. That realization hits him hard and he finds himself turning back to the kid.

He has stopped crying now but still has his face buried in his arms. He is homeless, Luther thinks, like Tyler and I. He has nowhere to go. Maybe he had already known that. Maybe that is why he stood up for him in the saloon. Maybe that is why he couldn't just leave him to the raiders. The kid's situation is too similar to his own, to Tyler's. All three of them have shady pasts, all three of them have been forced out of their homes. Sure the kid does not know that, but he doesn't have to. The point is, they have something in common.

Luther finds himself standing and walking over to the kid. He sits down heavily and waits for the kid to acknowledge his presence. After a few seconds the kid looks up. His eyes are red from where he has been rubbing them and there is dried blood caked to one side of his face from his earlier wound. Luther suddenly does not know what he is going to say. A long silence drags on between them during which the look of confusion on the kids face only makes things harder for Luther. Finally he settles on reaching forward and just clapping the kid on the shoulder. The confusion lingers on the kids face for a few more seconds, but then he nods, understanding on some level what Luther is trying to convey. Luther nods back and pats the kid's shoulder again before returning to his post.

As he sits he hears the kid sigh and lie down. Soon there is gentle snoring drifting from where the kid has curled himself up. A rare, genuine, smile appears on Luther's lips. Something inside of him tells him that this kid is going to be the source of a great many more pains in the future, but despite that, he is happy he has helped, even in his small way.

 **And there it is. The second chapter. I originally intended for it to be a bit shorter and include the main section from the next chapter, but things happen and stories change as you write and explore the characters. I hope you enjoyed, leave a comment or a like. Also, totally open to criticism, like it, don't like it, think I need to make some major changes? Let me know.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, welcome to chapter 3! Things have been moving at a good speed so far, you can expect it to continue, but I will be making connections between some missions in this story that do not exist in game. I hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 3

The sun begins to rise over the horizon in the east. It starts its daily path of war across the already baked earth, scorching it all the more. Luther watches the rising sun, wondering just why it bothers to try burning an already blackened world. He stands up and stretches, raising his arms above his head and sighing in relief as his back and shoulders pop a few times. He hadn't realized how long he had been sitting in the same position. When on watch about the only part of him that moves is his head, and even then only slightly.

He breaths out a content sigh before entering the house they settled in and waking up the others. Tyler gets up with his usual amount of complaint but sets about getting ready right away. The kid, however, takes a lot more coaxing to wake up. Luther finally gets annoyed with him and grabs two metal sheets from the wall. He drags them over to the kid's head and proceeds to bang them together. The kid jerks up, scrambling away from the noise in a panic, reaching down to his belt for his gun only to find that his holster is empty.

"Searching for this?" Tyler asks, holding up the kid's 10mm. "Found it lying in the dirt. Bad way to treat your equipment kid, especially if you aim to make it more than a few days out here in the real world. You already fucked up by getting captured by raiders, bet you never saw anything like them in the vault did you?"

The panic in the kid's eyes vanishes, replaced by indignation. "A raider clubbed me in the back of the head! What did you think was going to happen? that they would kidnap me and let me keep my weapons?"

"You _were_ kidnapped," Luther says darkly, "most people have better luck than that."

"What," he stammers, "what do you mean?" At the look Luther gives him he recoils. "You mean to say that it would be better to be killed than to be taken prisoner?"

"Sometimes, yes." Tyler answers. "Raiders don't just, kill, their prisoners. They torture them, to death. Often keeping a person alive for months at a time. After that, the best thing you can do for a person is to put a bullet between their eyes."

The kid looks back and forth between them, disbelief in his eyes. Luther sighs and pulls the kid to his feet. "Right, before we get going to anything else, there are a few things we have to address first." He motions for the kid to follow and leads the way outside. Once there he stands with his arms outstretched, "You need better gear." he explains. "Take mine for example. Leather harnesses, with some metal plating, over a coat with enough pockets to house all the ammo you need. This is good for me because I move around a lot. This gear does not absorb a lot of damage, but hopefully I should be able to avoid it. Now take Tyler's gear." He points as Tyler walks out from the house. "He wears mostly metal plate with some leather around the joints. He can soak up damage but his mobility is limited. That said, he adapts his fight style accordingly. we need to see how you fight, and then get you some armor for that leather jacked and vault suit, because that stuff alone just isn't cutting it. To determine what type of gear you require, I need to see what you have."

Luther lowers his arms and assumes a fight stance. The kid stares at him dumbfounded for a moment before realization appears on his face. "You want to fight? You want me to fight? Me, you, fight? No way, I have been beaten enough already. Besides, what about your broken arm?" He lets out a painful umph as Luther steps forward and throws a punch into his side. He stumbles back, holding up his hands in front of him. "What, what was that for?" he gasps.

Luther steps forward again, landing another punch on the kid's side. "Your enemies," he growls, "will not tell you when they are going to strike. You have to learn to watch them and predict their moves. Especially when fighting hand to hand." He goes to punch again, but stops. "Actually, Tyler is the better close quarters fighter, he should show you the ropes." He steps back with a flourish and beckons Tyler over. "All yours." he says as he steps aside. Tyler cracks his knuckles and moves forward.

The kid lets out a yelp of fear and attempts to run, but Tyler intercepts him, blocking his path. He sweeps the kid's feet out from under him, sending him sprawling to the ground in a heap. He steps back only long enough for the kid to stand again, before grabbing the kid's shoulder, twisting him around, and sending him into the ground face first. This time the kid does not move to get back up. Instead he just lies their with his face in the dirt. "All right kid," Tyler growls, "that is enough. Get up." The kid does not move and Tyler reaches down to turn him over.

The kid rolls over, throwing a handful of dirt in his hand at Tyler's face. Tyler, expecting that, moves quickly to the side and grabs the kid by his jacket. He yanks the kid up off the ground and holds him aloft. The kid's feet are only just brushing the ground and his struggles to break free are in vein. However, he does not stop trying. Luther smiles to himself, making sure the kid does not see. He has spirit at least. "I think he gets it, Tyler."

Tyler scoffs and drops the kid, "Just when I was getting warmed up. Pity." Luther offers a hand and helps the kid up. He dusts him off and looks around. He spots the body of one of the raiders they killed yesterday during the ambush and walks over. Crouching down, he examines the dead man's gear. Crudely welded and spiked metal plates mostly, with some frayed leather and rope straps holding it all together. He gathers the up the parts that look to be in the best condition and moves on to another body. He continues on until almost all of the raider corpses have been stripped of their better armaments. He deposits the mismatched collection on the ground and calls the kid over.

"We have hear the finest selection of gear for you to choose from, actually I will do the choosing, so please take your pick." He then proceeds to hold up different parts to the kid. Some he tosses aside, deciding that they are too big, too bulky, to decayed, or some other thing he does not like. Finally he decides he has done enough and steps back to admire his work. The kid now has spiked shoulder armor, though the left side is considerably bigger than the right, along with mismatched gauntlets, leg armor, and a harness set that should allow for him to carry several weapons at once. "Not bad," he mumbles to himself, "not bad at all. Congratulations kid, you now look the part of a wastelander."

Tyler emerges from the ruin and looks the kid over with a critical eye. "You sure this stuff isn't too heavy for him?" he asks, noting the way the kid is squirming uncomfortably as he adjusts his new gear.

Luther shakes his head, "No, this will do for now, though I would suggest you get better equipment later on kid. I figure that since I don't know if you need light or heavy gear then you might as well compromise and mix both. Can't really go wrong with taking the middle ground can you? All right, we have lingered around here for long enough. Let's find this Silver bitch and get our fucking caps already."

They set off towards the intact house up the hill. "Okay," Luther says over his shoulder, "there is no way this bitch does not know we are here, not after all the noise we have made. No reason to play it nice. She has to have seen us fight, so lets just go in there, act mean, get our caps, and get the fuck out before she even has a chance to realize the kid is trying not to piss all over his new armor in excitement." The kid opens his mouth to respond but falls silent as Luther knocks on the door to the house.

From inside they hear a small crash followed by a colorful string of curses. The door opens only a bit and a woman's voice comes out. "Who they hell are you? What do you want? Did Moriarty send you?"

Smart woman, Luther thinks to himself. "Just open up. We haven't been sent to kill you, only to collect."

The woman hesitates a second before opening the door the rest of the way. "I was sure he would just send some killers. What exactly are you here..." She trails off as she gets a look at them. "Fuck!" she shouts in a panic as she jumps back and tries to slam the door. Luther's foot gets in the way before she can though and he quickly forces the door open. The woman retreats back as her home is invaded by the three heavily armed men she saw kill the raiders not yesterday. Luther expects to see fear in her eyes. Instead there is only the blind rage of an addict who has been denied their doses for too long. The woman lets out another string of curses and goes for a shotgun leaned up against the wall. "You bastards killed all my suppliers!"

They have only enough time to throw themselves out of the way as the woman raises the gun and pulls the trigger. The scatter shot destroys everything on the countertop behind them. She fires again and Luther hears Tyler grunt in pain as some lead slices through his calf. Suddenly the kid's gun is out. He aims with a steady hand and fires once. Silver stumbles back before falling to the ground. The kid stands and empties the rest of his magazine into her head, leaving only a pulpy mass where once her face was. Luther's eyes are glued on the kid. He sees the sweat on the kids face, the tremble spreading along his body, and the look in his eyes. He moves out of the way as the kid falls to his knees, heaving. But only bile and air escape his already empty stomach.

Luther stands slowly. He looks down at the shredded body of the woman and the quickly expanding pool of blood around where her head used to be. A shudder goes down his spine as the sight conjures up unbidden memories from his past. A fowl, and sickeningly familiar, taste enters his mouth. He swallows past the lump in his throat and squeezes his eyes shut before regaining his composure. "Real, indecent." he mutters before helping Tyler up off the floor and turning to where the kid has curled himself into a ball in a corner. "Look around for any caps you can find. Remember, we need two hundred."

"What about him?" Tyler asks nodding his head towards the kid.

"Leave him," Luther replies curtly, "he needs to work through this on his own." Tyler moves over to a nearby wardrobe and forces it open while Luther crouches down and examines the woman's body. He sighs and pats down her pockets. He finds a small bag of caps on her belt and pulls it off, noting that a section of the bag has been stained with blood. He also finds a small crumbled note that details the woman's deal with the raiders. She keeps watch of Springvale, alerting the raider band whenever someone enters the ruins and in exchange for a steady supply of chems. Tyler chuckles in satisfaction and Luther looks up in time to see him scoop several canisters of jet, some psycho, and a bottle of buffout into a pocket. "How much did you find?" Luther asks as he stands.

Tyler holds up an old pre-war lunchbox. "Filled to the brim. Got to be at least two hundred, if not more." He gives it a shake to demonstrate his point. "Did you find anything?"

Luther hands the bag of caps over to Tyler along with the note. "Yes. Seems our little harlot here had a deal with the raiders we killed. She is likely behind the ambush yesterday. Who knows how many people she got killed with this."

Tyler reads the note silently, nodding his head. "The slick little bitch." He hands the not back to Luther, "You should show that to the kid. Let him know he didn't gun down an innocent. I'm sure it is eating him up thinking that he has."

Luther nods and turns to where the kid was, only to see that he is no longer there. He looks around quickly and notes the front door standing open. He steps outside and spots the kid standing a few feet away. He walks over and stands next to the him. The kid's eyes have a far off look in them as he stares at the bleak landscape around them. "Trying to figure out the world?" Luther asks. It is a rhetorical question and he goes on before the kid can answer. "Maybe this will help sooth your mind." He hands the kid the note and leaves him to make of it what he will.

He has already admitted to himself that he is fond of the kid on some level, but there is a limit to that. Sure, the kid may look the part now, but he has to be able to back that look up with the strength of will and skill required to carry that look and not die. There is only so much he and Tyler can do for the little shit, after that it is all up to him. They can't decide what type of person the kid will become, only he can. All they can do is provide him with what he needs to live long enough to become that person.

* * *

The trio enter the saloon and Tyler slams the door shut behind them. Again everyone goes quiet. Luther has to admit, he could get used to that sort of reaction. The three of them move confidently to the bar. They don't sit, choosing instead to stand there with arms crossed and faces set. Gob takes one look at them, taking in the beaten state of their gear, the tired and angry looks in their eyes, all the blood clinging to their faces, bodies, and clothes, and decides to get Moriarty from the back room. The Irishman steps out of his private office and gives them an appraising look over. "Well look who is back," he greets warmly, "our heroes and their loyal fan. Welcome, it is so very good to see you safe and alive." Luther easily sees past the warm words and the false smile. The look in Moriarty's eyes says it all.

"Drop the act" Luther snarls, "we aren't here for pleasantries."

Moriarty's face instantly changes. The show is over and now his face openly shows his contempt. "You three caused a fucking huge ruckus the last time you were here. You might as well have spat in my face. You had better have my fucking caps." Tyler wordlessly drops the lunchbox on the counter. The lid pops open and several caps spill out. Greed fills the mans eyes as he reaches for it. "Well then, that concludes our business. Now you should leave before I have you..." Tyler slams his hand down over the box, keeping Moriarty from taking in. The anger is back again instantly. "Just what the hell do you think you are..."

"There are a lot of caps there, Moriarty," Luther interrupts. The man turns his furious gaze upon him and he meets it with one of his own. He leans over the bar, getting very close to Moriarty's face. "There is more there than you asked for. The bounty on Silver was one hundred caps. We only want seventy-five plus the info on the kid's father."

A vein on Moriarty's head spasms. "You mean to come into my bar and expect to make demands of me! Our deal..."

"Our deal," Luther shouts over him, "was for us to deal with Silver in exchange for the information. Not only did we do that, but we have delivered all your caps and then some back into your grubby little hands. We also insured that you will have no competition in the chem market for a long, long time."

They continue to glare at each other. The moment drags on and he sees Gob and Nova edge themselves out of the room. He is sure things are about to get violent and almost reaches for his gun before Moriarty speaks. "Fine damn you! The kid's father came in here a while back asking about all sorts of things. I told him what was what and he left. Said something about going to find that idiot Three Dog at GNR." Luther steps back and crosses his arms triumphantly as Moriarty counts our the caps. "Take them," he fumes, almost throwing the caps at them, "and get the hell out of my bar! I don't want to see your faces around here ever again! Is that understood?"

Luther shoots him a savage smile as they leave that causes the man to take a step back at the severity of it. Moriarty knows there is something not right with those two men, that kid has to be just as insane to be traveling with them. As they step outside and the door closes behind them the kid lets out a huge breath. "Man," he laughs in relief, "I was sure we were going to have to make a run for it."

Tyler claps the kid on the back. "Not bad in there boy. There was a second when I was sure you were going to piss you pants like a little pussy, but you held it together. Now we should see if there is anywhere else in this fucking sinkhole where we can get a drink." Luther shoots Tyler a look and he shrugs, "Fine, the kid and I will do all the drinking. Com on boy, lets see how much you can handle. I bet you barely make it two rounds." The kid gives Luther a pathetic, pleading, look. Luther shakes his head. The kid will have to get himself out of this one.

Luther stays where he is, leaning against the catwalk outside the saloon, and watches as Tyler all but drags the kid into a place called the Brass Lantern. "Interesting companions you have." a cold, smooth, voice comments behind him. He turns and is surprised to see the man in the pristine white suit standing behind him. "I do say, my good man, you know how to make an impression on the locals, but, as I am sure you can tell, I am not a local. My name is Mr. Burke, and I have a proposition that may be of interest to you."

"Mr. Burke," Luther says as he shakes the hand the man has offered, "please continue. I find myself, intrigued."

"My, my," Mr. Burke almost purrs, "just when I had all but given up hope. My dear man, I am very happy to make your acquaintance. I represent certain... interests who view this town, this 'Megaton,' as a blight upon an otherwise perfect landscape. You and your associates have no interests here. No connections to the people that could hinder your thought process. You could assist us in erasing this little, accident, off of the map. I assure you, the rewards will be well worth your effort."

Luther looks out over the settlement he has so many times thought of as a cesspit filled with squatters. He thinks back to the treatment Moriarty gave the kid when all he wanted was a little information and the hell they all went through to get it. He looks back at Mr. Burke, and smiles, "Go on, I'm listening."

 **Dun, Dun, DAAAAA!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Welcome to chapter 4. Sorry that I took longer to post this chapter, needed to flesh out some parts. Just a quick note, I may be posting things further and further apart as I take more time to review each chapter for mistakes and as I expand the story a little more. Please be patient, and as always, I am totally open to reviews good or bad. Enjoy!**

Chapter 4

They don't get very far before throwing themselves to the ground and covering their heads as the explosion goes off behind them. The ground beneath them shakes and debris rain down on their backs. Nick nearly bites through his tongue in pain as something slams into his shoulder. The metal plating there takes most of the damage, but he can already feel a painful bruise forming. After a few more horrifying seconds, the debris stops falling and the ground ceases its trembling. He chances a look up and his mouth falls open at what he sees.

Behind them there is nothing but twisted metal, flames, and thick black smoke spiraling into the sky. There are no signs of any bodies, let alone survivors. Nick shakes his head and runs a hand through his hair as he stands. "Damn," he mutters, "I knew it was going to blow, but, damn."

Behind him Tyler and Luther clamber to their feet with their usual sets of curses and complaints. Luther steps up beside him, brushing himself off, and nods in approval. "I think you about got the gist of it kid. That was one hell of a boom. I bet people all the way in Rivet City heard, hell felt, that one." He pops his neck and sighs in satisfaction.

Tyler joins them, holding a hubcap in his hands. "This thing landed right next to my head. Impaled itself into the ground. Just about couldn't get it out. Would've killed me if it had been a few more inches to the left." He shakes his head and tosses the metal disk aside. "How about next time we get clear of the blast radius before using one of these old deathtraps as a weapon?"

They are standing on the cracked and broken remains of an old highway. Moments before, they were pinned down by raiders on all sides. A car near Luther caught fire early on and he got the bright idea to shoot at the others and cause the huge explosion they just narrowly escaped from. The blast would seem to have obliterated all of the raiders who had been too dumb, or to high, to realize what was going on. Now there are smoking wrecks all along the highway for miles in either direction. They really had not anticipated a chain reaction of this size. "Right," Nick says with a nod, "note taken. Cars make convenient bombs, but are unpredictable and prone to causing more damage than necessary."

Luther nods, "Yep, pre-war tech is dangerous, but useful. That is the way most things are actually." The three of them snoop around, looking for any loot left over from the raiders. After a few minutes of finding only scrap metal and dirt, they abandon the attempt and set off. Nick reaches into his pocket and pulls out the folded letter. He scans through it again, making sure they are on the right path. Yesterday, while job searching in Megaton, Nick was approached by an extremely attractive blonde woman by the name of Lucy West. She had pleaded with him to deliver a message to her family in the nearby town of Arefu.

At first, he had been reluctant to do the job, since Lucy had no way or paying him for it, but the woman was persistent and he eventually gave in. He had intended to take care of the job on his own, but Tyler and Luther decided to come along with him, claiming that they had just about exhausted the job market in Megaton and that this Arefu sounded promising. Nick suspects, however, that they are actually just bored, or searching for a way to escape from their adoring fan base. Ever since the three of them disarmed the nuke at the town center, and killed a would be saboteur, and saving the town sheriff in the process, the populace of Megaton decided they were heroes and doted on them wherever they went.

While all the attention was unnerving for the mercs, it was doubly so for Nick. As a child in the vault, he was shy and awkward, and the few times he had attention, it was for something horrible he had done. He knows that the people of Megaton mean well, but they way they talk about him in hushed tones, it reminds him of his biggest fuck up. He had lost it. He nearly killed Butch. It didn't matter that he did it to defend his only real friend in the vault.

Amata, the Overseer's daughter. When everyone else shunned him, she reached out. He knew she was shy too, and left out by the others because of her father. They grew very close as years went by. When the time came for all of them to take their G.O.A.T. exams, which would determine their jobs for the rest of their lives, stress levels were high. Nick's test ended up with him slated for the maintenance department, which is looked down upon by the other vault inhabitants. Needless to say he was a little ticked, then he saw Amata cornered by Butch and his stupid gang the Tunnel Snakes. He started towards them, intending to try and talk Butch down, but then the asshole put his hands on her.

He lost it. All he remembers is the other Tunnel Snakes trying to pull him off of their leader as he beat his face in. Next thing he knows he is being dragged away by vault security officers with his hands cuffed behind his back. He spent he next day locked up in a holding cell, cowering in a corner and staring at the dried blood on his hands. Only when his father was allowed into the cell to treat him did he realize that several of his fingers were broken. His father didn't say much, but he did tell him of the condition Butch was in.

Apparently, Nick had broken Butch's nose, knocked out several teeth, and cracked large segments of his skull. They had him in the vault hospital and his condition was stable, but still. After he was released, nothing was the same. People whispered behind his back. They looked at him as though he were some sort of monster that might snap at any second and kill one of them. What was worse, his father was the same way. He never said anything, and always kept up a loving act when they were together, but Nick could see through it. His father saw him different, and it was a bad different. Nick eventually became a recluse. Devoting himself to his work and nothing else. He allowed the years to slip by. He didn't see Amata again, not that he didn't want to, there was nothing he would have liked better than to go to her and explain what had happened, but he just couldn't.

Then one day, she showed up out of nowhere, holding a gun. In a few short minutes everything changed, again, just like before. He escaped the vault, killing several guards along the way. Of course his father was to blame. The man escaped first, and the public's reaction, find the Doc's psych sun and make him pay for his father's crimes. There was some irony though. During his escape, he came across Butch. The man was in hysteria, begging that someone save his mom from the radroachs that had chosen that time to conveniently swarm everywhere. Nick saved Butch's mom, and in exchange Butch game him his Tunnel Snake jacket. Strange how things work out. Never in his life would he have pictured himself traveling with two mercs, looking for odd jobs.

"Hey kid," Luther shouts behind him, "Arefu is this way." Nick stops, realizing that he had started wandering from the path while daydreaming. He shakes his head and moves back onto the road. "Damn kid," Luther jokes, "if you are distracted that easily, how are you ever going to make it?"

"I remember this one time," Tyler says, waving a hand in front of him for emphasis, "I met this gorgeous babe. She called herself Rose, and man was she bad! Liked to drink, more than anyone else I have ever met. Drank me under the table once." He laughs hard before a much more serious tone enters his voice. "She didn't like being tied down though, always wanted to keep moving, always needed something to do. At the time I was so infatuated with her that I was sure I would follow her to the ends of the Wastes. One day we walked into an ambush, and not even a well planed one. I had been to busy with her to realize what was about to happen. Decided right then that she was bad news. We split ways, after a final night of drinks anyway."

Luther looks at him out of the corner of his eye. "Is that story supposed to have a point."

"Yep," Tyler laughs, clapping Nick on the shoulder, "don't get so wrapped up with one thing that you stop noticing all the other stuff going on. I passed up six jobs while I was with her. Six! Do you realize how many caps I stood to make! Oh, well, no use griping about the past."

The continue on. Luther and Tyler keep up a steady conversation, though most times it is more like an argument. Every so often they ask Nick what he thinks about what they are fighting over. Each time he just shrugs and shakes his head, unwilling to be dragged into their debates. Yet despite his uncaring demeanor, he listens to each fight intently. The duo argue everything that pops into their heads, and thus he learns a lot just by listening. It is interesting, Nick decides, they never come to a conclusion, they just switch topics and continue on. How two people with such opposing views on so many things manage to work together so well is Beyond him.

Before much longer Arefu comes into sight ahead. The little town is seated at the top of a partially collapsed highway that looks to have once been a sort of bridge over the now mostly dried up Potomac river. There is only one way up to the town, but that also means there is only one way down. From the ominous amount of smoke rising from the place, and the dead brahimn pinned up at the foot of the highway, Nick can already tell something bad has happened. Wordlessly the three of them draw their weapons and begin the ascent up the highway to the town.

Nick pulls the slide back on his 10mm and leads the way up. Behind him He hears Luther chamber a round into his rifle and Tyler check the load of his shotgun. They approach slowly, keeping their eyes peeled for any signs of danger. Nick steps forward and hears a click followed by a short beep. He immediately recognizes the sound from a job they did for a psycho lady in Megaton. "Fuck, mines!" he shouts as he throws himself backwards. The explosive mine goes off! He his rolled a short way by the impact, but is not seriously hurt. He sits up, shaking his head in an attempt to stop the ringing in his ears. He scrambles into a nearby crack in the pavement. It isn't much in the way of cover, but at least it is something.

He readies himself to fight, but an unexpectedly elderly voice shouts out, "Wait, you aren't one of them! Are you lot okay down there? Damn, I nearly blasted you in two! Come on out. I won't shoot if you don't, I promise!" Nick looks over at Tyler and Luther. Luther Shrugs and Tyler just shakes his head. Nick swallows hard, and then stands slowly. He raises his hands above his head and loosens his grip on his 10mm.

Just ahead behind a wall of sandbags is an elderly man with a rifle much like Luther's. He motions for Nick to approach. Nick looks back at Tyler and Luther and gives them a nod. Together the trio climb the rest of the way up the highway to where the old man is waiting for them. "My name is Evan King," the old man says as they approach. "Sorry about that, couldn't take a chance. The Damned Family has been causing too much trouble around here for me to get slack. What are you folks doing all the way out here anyways?"

Nick reaches into his pocket and pulls out the letter. "I have a message, for the West family. It is from their daughter in Megaton. She hasn't heard from them in a while and asked us to deliver this to them. I am assuming that whatever has you spooked is why she hasn't heard anything?"

The old man nods, "You would be right mister. People have been hiding in their homes too scared to come outside ever since the Family showed up nearly a month ago. At first they were no real threat, they just did normal gang stuff. You know, vandalize some things, make noise, try to scare people, but nothing serious. Then they started getting violent. They slaughtered our brahmin, took some shots at us, I even caught their leader trying to talk one our own into joining them."

Luther steps forward with his arms crossed. "You called them a gang, and raiders would have just wiped you out by now. Something has you scared, hiding for your lives. What is it about them that has you so spooked old man?"

Evan King looks at each of them in turn before heaving a heavy sigh and shaking his head. "Look, I can't really tell what it is, but there is just something not right with these people. Remember I said they killed our brahimn, well they didn't take any meant, but the animals were dried up, drained of blood. They only ever show up at night. They are stealthy as shadows, and their leader, something about him just seems plain wrong. One time I saw him up close he had this look in his eyes like nothing I have ever seen before." The old man sighs again. "Look, you go ahead and deliver your message, but can you do me a favor? I am afraid to leave my post here, Family could attack any time, but someone needs to check up on the folk around here. Do that for me, and I've got some spare stimpacks I can give you. Deal?"

Luther nods in agreement and shakes the man's hand. "Deal." He then motions for Nick and Tyler to follow. "All right," he says as soon as they are out of Evan King's earshot, "I do not like the sound of this, Family, and I am pretty confident I can talk the old man into a hiring us to deal with them. You two check up on the residents, I will speak with Evan. Sound Good?"

Nick and Tyler nod and they three of them split up. Luther returns to Evan while Tyler goes to the nearest houses. Nick looks around and heads for a small house at the back of town. He knocks on the door, but nobody answers. Behind him he can hear Tyler explaining that Evan King sent him to a person who must be reluctant to open their door. Nick knocks again, this time calling out as he does. "Hello, is anyone home? Evan King sent me, asked me to check up on you." Again there is no answer. Nick shakes his head, deciding that this is pointless and moves to leave. As he steps away, however, he notices that the mailbox outside the house has the name West on it. This is the house where Lucy's family lives.

He steps back up to the door and bangs on it all the harder. "Mr. and Mrs. West? Ian? I was sent by your daughter with a message! Open up all ready!" He mutters under his breath and reaches for the doorknob. He is surprised when he finds that it is not locked. Opening the door he steps into the little shack cautiously. Immediately he is hit by a rancid stench. Cover his nose and mouth with a hand, he steps further into the house and is greeted with a gruesome sight. On the floor at the foot of a bed is the corpse of a man, while the corpse of a woman lies on the bed. Both have been decaying for a while now, a few weeks at least. Scrawled in blood on the wall are the words, The Family. Nick feels his stomach churn and he turns to rush outside before he hurls. Instead he runs into a stone-faced Luther who simple moves him aside and crouches down to examine the bodies.

Nick stands in the door frame, fighting to keep from hurling, and watches the merc. Luther gently turns the head of the dead man on the floor. His fingers brush over wounds in the man's neck. To Nick, it looks like some sort of wild animal got hold of them, but the look on Luther's face says that it is worse than that. Next Luther goes to the woman's body and examines her neck in much the same way, finding identical wounds on her as well. What he does next finally causes Nick to loose it and step outside to hurl. Luther drew his knife and drew a long slice along the woman's wrist.

Outside Nick shakily gets to his feet, wiping off his mouth as he does. He feels lightheaded and is having trouble keeping his balance. Luther steps outside with a grim look on his face. Nick straightens up and looks over at Luther, but the man's face is unreadable. "We need to speak with Evan." Luther finally speaks. His voice is husky and dark. Nick's stomach rolls again, but he keeps it together and follows Luther back to where Evan and Tyler are waiting.

Evan notices them first and calls out once he sees Nick's face. "Are you okay there mister? You look more than a little sick." Evan moves to give Nick a hand, but Luther intercepts him. He grabs the old man by the front of his jacket and slams him against the side of a nearby house. "Hey, hey, now, what is this about?" the old man whimpers.

"Hey," Nick shouts, stepping forward and grabbing Luther's arm, "what they hell are you doing?" Luther shakes him off with a snarl that Nick to step back and Tyler to lay a hand on his shotgun.

"Luther," Tyler growls in a warning tone, "let go of the old man."

Luther ignores them and bores holes into Evan head with a glare that would stop a raider in his tracks. "The Family," he spits, "what else do you know about them old man? Tell me!" he roars!

"I," Evan gasps, "I told you everything I know, please..."

Luther continues to glare at him, his eyes cold as ice, before releasing his grip and marching over to the edge of the highway where he stairs down at the shallow waters below. Nick helps Evan to his feet and looks at Tyler with confusion. Tyler shrugs his shoulders and moves to stand a few feet behind Luther's tense form. "Luther?" Tyler says in a questioning tone.

Nick watches as Luther takes in a deep breath, holds it, and then releases it slowly. "The Wests are dead." he growls.

Evan stiffens in Nicks arms and pushes away from the young man. "What?" He boldly walks up to Luther. "What do you mean dead? What happened to them?"

The images of the dead couple swim before Nick's eyes and he swallows hard to keep from gagging. Luther turns to them and speaks in a low voice. "Ian is missing. His parents both have the same wounds. Bit marks, to the neck. Both have been drained of blood, like your brahmin." Evan King opens his mouth to speak but is silenced by Luther holding up a hand. "I have seen this sort of kill before. This gang of yours, the Family, they are cannibals."

* * *

Luther's eyes search through the darkness, keenly alert for any movements. After the revelation of the Family's true nature, it didn't take much persuasion from Evan King to convince him to go after the gang. He wanted to go alone, to deal with the problem himself, but the kid and Tyler followed him anyway. They found the Family's hide away easily enough. Luther knows about cannibals, more than he cars to admit, and thus knew exactly where to look. Now they are deep in the bowls of a metro station, and have set a trap for the bastards.

Luther and Tyler wanted to do what they always did, go in guns blazing and kill everyone, but Nick reminded them that they were also hoping to find and rescue Ian West, who they are assuming has been taken prisoner by the gang. so here he sits in the shadows, watching the kid's back as he does what he does best. Which is making a ruckus. The kid has the flashlight of his pipboy all lite up and glaring into the darkness. He is also making about as much noise as he can as he pretends to look for salvage. Somewhere in the shadows across from Luther's position Tyler is also hidden, but where exactly he isn't sure.

The kid as been making a nuisance of himself for all of six minutes before Luther spots movement. The kid has his back purposely turned to the tunnel where they already know the entrance to the Family's base is, and thus the approaching man goes ahead and moves forward, believing he has himself an easy catch. The kid starts to whistle a lively tune, indicating he knows the man is behind him and that he is ready to spring the trap. Luther lets the man pass his position before stepping out of the shadows.

The man stops just behind the kid and shouts, "Hey!" Luther steps forward and presses his knife to the man's neck. The kid stands and turns, leveling his 10mm at the man's chest.

"Hello," Luther growls in the man's ear, "thinking you were going to get some fresh meat were you? Thought to yourself, I will just kill this stupid little shit and eat his ass, no one will know. Didn't stop to think that maybe the little shit would have dangerous friends hiding in the shadows just waiting for the chance to slit your throat did you? Did you?"

The man gurgles something unintelligible and Luther presses the knife against his throat a little harder. Tyler steps from the shadows with his shotgun raised. "Luther," he states firmly, "we need him alive, remember?"

Luther glowers at him before growling in the man's ear again. "You are lucky he is here. Of the two of us he is usually the move violent, so if he says I need to back off, then clearly I do, just remember, this knife in my hands would like nothing more than to spill your blood all over the inside of this tunnel." He gives the man a hard push towards the Family's base. "Now, take us to whoever leads your little gang."

The man stumbles before standing straight and staring defiantly at Luther. "There is no way in hell I am taking you to them. I would rather die!"

"That can be arranged!" Luther growls as he steps forward with his knife. He is cut off, however, by the kid. Luther is genuinely surprised when the kid pulls back and slams his fist right into the man's face, knocking the guy on his back. Luther watches, equal parts impressed and surprised, as the kid towers over the downed man with both fists clinched and a dark expression on his face.

"Listen you scum sucking son of a whore" the kid shouts, "I don't care if we have to kill you and wait for another one of your pals to come and check where you are. We will wait out here and kill each and every one of you off one by one if we have to, but if you get your sniveling ass up out of the dirt and take us in their yourself, I swear the only one who runs the risk of getting hurt is you, and only if you give us trouble. Got it asshole?" Surprisingly, the man gets up and silently walks ahead of them. They follow without comment, and soon enough find themselves standing in a large open transit area of the metro. Before too long, they are speaking to the Family's leader.

* * *

The guard leads them up a derelict escalator and points them to a tall, pale, man who turns to greet them as they approach. "Ah," his voice sends a chill down Nick's spine, "I sense your coming. Welcome brother, there is no need for any hostilities, you are among your own kind here." The man approaches Luther with his arms held open as though he intended to embrace Luther in a hug. He stops, however, when he finds himself staring down the barrel of Luther's rifle.

"I am not your kind!" Luther's voice is barely above a whisper and Nick only just manages to make out what he said. "Where is Ian West?" Luther demands, his voice raising loud enough for the other nearby members of the Family to hear and take notice.

The man lowers his arms and hols his palms out in a gesture of peace, "Please, I meant no offense. I knew others would eventually find their way here to us and I assumed that was why you were here, forgive me. Let us start over, My name is Vance, and this is my flock, the Family. Welcome outsiders, I hope no harm has befallen my loyal guardsman."

The guard rolls his shoulders, "Nothing that I can't handle Vance. Don't worry with me. This lot ambushed me in the tunnels, I didn't realize one of them is like us, I don't have that skill."

Nick has no idea what they are all talking about, but he notices that Luther emits a low growl at the guards words. Nick can feel the tension in the air and decides to intervene before Tyler mistakes something innocent for an attack and starts shooting. "Vance is it?" he asks, stepping forward and offering his hand. "My name is Nick. We came looking for..."

"Interesting." Vance interrupts.

"Um, What?" Nick asks in confusion.

"You are interesting," he elaborates, "as is this other." he says turning to look at Tyler. "You are not like us, yet your travel with..."

"ENOUGH!" Luther suddenly roars, leaping forward and putting the barrel of his gun directly against Luther's head. "Tell us where Ian is or I swear I am going to blow your brains all over that bitch behind you!" Vance's eyes widen and he turns his head slightly to see the woman who had approached unseen by anyone else from behind. His eyes return to Luther with a desperate look. "Good," Luther continues before the man can speak, "I am glad we have an understanding. Now where is the boy?"

A feral look appears on Vance's face, "You do not understand! We have not kidnapped the boy! He came to us! He told me about himself, about what he thought was a curse. I revealed his true nature to him, our nature, but it was too late! He had already killed! His parents, to say that he was distraught is an understatement, so we took him in and I took the blame for his actions. I painted the walls in the West home with the Family's name, I caused all the problems with that town, to save the boy!"

Comprehension finally slams into Nick. His mouth drops open and his gun falls from his hand. The bodies of Ian's and Lucy's parents. The dead brahimn outside of Arefu. "Cannibals," he whispers, "you are cannibals."

Vance turns his gaze upon him and glares. "We are more than that, we are vampires!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Welcome to Chapter 5! Skipping ahead a little here, some things just don't need explaining. There will be some pretty graphic shit being described in this chapter, so fair warning. Going to be arriving at a major plot point for this story, hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 5

"So we provide them with donations of fresh blood packs, and in exchange they not only stop harassing us, but offer protection for the town? Sounds like a bargain to me!" Luther grimaces as Nick and Evan King shake hands over the deal. After Vance revealed why the Family had taken Ian, and what they were, Nick had jumped in and negotiated a deal that would benefit everyone with them. A deal he had just pitched and soled to Evan. They even managed to Talk a traumatized Ian into leaving the Family and returning to Arefu. While the kid still aims to keep his cannibalism a secret, at least he is back where he belongs.

The whole fiasco has Luther seething though. The second he saw the bodies of the West family he knew what had happened to them. When they went down into that metro, he was dead set on killing all of the bastards responsible. However, after Nick and Tyler calmed him down, he learned that despite what they are, the Family is at least trying to make themselves better. Even if they do so in a creepy way. Every second spent in that hole still made him want to kill. The way Vance spoke to him, knew about him, only served to make it worse. Only Vance does not know, at least not everything.

"Hey," Nick says with a smile as he walks up, "Evan liked the idea. He was completely for it once I explained everything. "Also," he reaches into a pocket and takes out two stimpacks, "he followed through with his deal to supply us. Here, this is your half." Luther silently takes the stims and pockets them. He and Nick proceed down the highway to where Tyler is waiting for them with Alan, a member of the Family who has been sent to act as a guard for the town.

"He in?" Alan asks as they approach.

Luther ignores the question and brushes past the young cannibal wordlessly. "Yeah he did," Nick replies, "I already told him you were coming. Head on up whenever you are ready." Alan shakes his hand and the proceeds up to the small town. Nick and Tyler then turn to Luther, as if waiting for him to say something. He stares back at them with a blank look in his eyes. "Should we, maybe, head back to Megaton?" Nick asks cautiously.

He shrugs and starts walking. He hears Nick ask Tyler what is up and Tyler brush him off. He sighs inwardly. You are being an ass, he thinks to himself. The kid did good back there, he negotiated a deal and prevented a lot of bloodshed. Still, cannibals are scum, degenerates. In the wasteland, there are all sorts of foul creatures, raiders, mutants, and even crazed robots left over from before the bombs, but those who partake of human flesh are among the worst sort as far as Luther is concerned. He grimaces, sickened by the memory of the people who saved his life. Who took him in after finding him half dead in the wastes. Who gave him the slightest glimmer of hope that maybe not everyone in the wasteland is a degenerate, only to discover what they really were, and what they had made him into.

The memory of a taste enter his mouth. The scent seems to fill the air. The crunch of roasted and perfectly seasoned flesh in his mouth. The worst part? Even now he savors it. The feel of the juices from the tender meat. The taste unlike any other, yet somehow familiar the first time you try it. The same taste you experience when blood is in your mouth. When your mouth is split, or an organ inside of you is gushing and they only way to remove the blood is to spit it out. You know the taste, somewhere in the back of you mind you know, but you still eat the flesh, and savor it. Somehow you just know, he knew, yet he ate it anyways.

The smile on that bastard Jack Smith's face as he finally, after three whole weeks of keeping it secret, finally told Luther where the town's food came from. The horror he felt, the revulsion. Not with Smith or any of Andale's other inhabitants, but with himself. Then there was the blood haze. The pure fury that consumed him and made him into an instrument of death's sardonic will. He would kill the people who save him because of what they were, but he was now one of them. The town that once prided itself as America's finest little establishment, soon was empty, and quiet. Devoid of life, save for the crows that feasted on the bodies he left piled in the middle of the town's square.

* * *

Tyler is in a foul mood. Hell, it seems that all three of them are. First Luther goes and gets all dark while they deal with the vampire knockoffs, then the kid gets all crestfallen that he isn't getting praised for striking a deal with the devils. Seriously kid, whoopty fucking do da! Now their moods have rubbed off on him, and his being pissed only serves to make the kid even more down, while Luther is walking up ahead lost in his own fucking thick ass skull, which ticks him off all the more! To top it all off, he used the last of his jet yesterday and now has a splitting headache, blurry vision, and his hands are starting to get the jitters. All in all this is just a depressing situation.

He catches himself checking their surroundings again for what feels like the millionth time in the last hour. Still no sign of the landmarks he uses to orient himself and keep track of where they are. DAMN! The quicker the get back to Megaton, the quicker the three of them can separate and deal with their issues. He already knows what will happen. He will track down a dealer and buy all the chems he can, Luther will eventually end up staring angrily at a glass of booze but not drinking, and the kid will wander around aimlessly until he gets himself into trouble. Tyler looks around again and growls in frustration. Seriously, it did not take them half this time to get to Arefu, so why is it taking so long for them to get back?

A slight movement up in the rocks to his left catches his attention. He lowers his head and pretends he didn't notice, but his eyes are moving like crazy, searching for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing, no more movement, but the alarms going off in his head are still screaming at top volume. Maybe it is just the withdraw. Sure nothing like this has ever happened before, but other, weirder things have. For example, the thing that looks like a men in black combat armor emerging from the rocks like a ghost. That cannot be real. But then again, what if it is? He shrugs his shoulders and raises his combat shotgun. He pulls the trigger, and is surprised when the man screams in pain, actual pain, not the shit a drugged mind thinks up, and falls to the ground. He is even more surprised when Luther and Nick react to the dead man by jumping behind cover. When more men in the same black armor as the first show up though, he is not surprised, he is excited. Now they get to fight!

Letting out a bellowing roar he charges the black armored men. He smashes into one, sending the bastard flying back, while shooting a round through the head of the man next to him. A red beam flashes through the air and burns right through the softer armor on his side, leaving a cauterized burn. He growls in pain as the scent of burning skin, leather, and metal reaches his nose. He turns to the man holding the laser rifle and stalks towards him like a deathclaw. He sees panic fill the mans eyes and it invigorates him. The man fires twice more. The first shot misses him by an inch, but the second burns a second hole onto his left shoulder. He lashes out, knocking the rifle from the man's hands. He lands a savage kick on the man's chest, sending him to ground with a pined grunt as some of his ribs shatter. Tyler lowers his shotgun to the man's head and pulls the trigger, leaving nothing but a blood stump where the man's head once was.

He roars in a blood fury, ready for more, but a powerful force slams into his head. He stumbles forward, falling to one knee. A pain far worse than any headache he has ever experienced before fills his head. He tries to stand, but his vision swirls, making everything look like a warped collage. Somehow he climbs to his feet and takes a step forward. He hears panicked shouting and turns towards it just in time to see a glowing blue orb flying towards his head. The orb hits him and again he is sent to his knees in pain. This time his entire body is screaming in agony from the electric pulses spanning from his skull. With his eyes squeezed shut he tries again to get to his feet. Something is pressed against his forehead and he opens his eyes to see an ugly weapon at his head. "Sweet dreams asshole!" someone shouts before a third orb enters his skull and he passes out.

Tyler's eyes snap open and he rolls to the side, raising his gun and firing, at nothing. He curses and whips around, expecting his attacker to be behind him, but still nobody. His eyebrows knit together in confusion as he sits up and swings his gun around, cautions for whatever trick this may be. He stands after a few seconds, keeping a tight grip on his rifle, and looks around. There are five of those guys who attacked them lying dead on the ground. The three he killed, one with a bullet right through his eye suggests Luther got him, and the fifth must have been taken down by the kid. Speaking of them, where are they? His eyes sweep the area, searching for them, and he sees nothing. "Luther, Kid, where are you?" he half whispers. Of course there is no answer.

He lowers his gun as the rush of adrenaline ebbs away. He becomes aware of a pain in his side and looks down to see that a clean section of his armor as been burned away, leaving a dark gash where he assumes he was shot with a laser weapon, but he cannot remember. He gingerly touches the wound to see how bad it is. The wound is shallow, but long. Nothing serious. At least it was a laser. Those weapons always cauterize the wounds they inflict. If a bullet had hit him like that, he would likely be bleeding out. "Fuck," he growls as he realizes there is another wound on his shoulder. He shrugs, testing the limbs movement range, and cringes as pain flares. He will have to be careful with it.

Holding his side, he steps away from the corpses of their attackers and climbs atop a small outcrop of rocks to get a better view. Shading his eyes from the sun, he looks back down at where the fight had taken place. He hopes to see the kid and Luther somewhere finishing off their attackers, but again he sees nothing. He growls in frustration and is about to climb back down when he notices something. There is a set of tracks leading away from the fight. He squints and can see that most of the tracks are from heavily armored boots, but there is another that is different. He scrambles down the rocks to get a better look. Kneeling down, he examines the strange tracks.

While the others are uniform and walking in a straight line, these seem more like someone was being dragged between two other people. He sits back and scratches his beard, trying to make sense of it. The he notices a third set of tracks, these seeming to follow just to the side of the others, only there is a lot of blood and whoever it is is dragging themselves along the ground. He stands and follows the third set of tracks with his eyes until he spots something lying on the ground that causes him to curse when he recognizes it. Running to the spot, he kneels down and picks up Luther's bloodstained rifle. He stands back up with the rifle in his hands and decides that he is going to find his partner. He pulls both his shotgun and Luther's rifle across his back and sets off.

As he follows the trail, he can't help but notice the large amount of blood his partner is loosing. The sand and baked earth is stained, the blood appearing a dark, almost black, crimson color. He isn't a tracker, not like Luther, be even he can see the signs that his partner is in a serious way. He quickens his pace, praying that the asshole isn't dead. If he is, he will find a way to resurrect him and then shoot him himself.

Finally he spots the shape of a man dragging himself along the ground. "Luther!" he shouts as he breaks into a run. If his partner hears him, he does not show it. He barrels down upon the bastard and rolls him over. "Shit!" he curses as he sees the extent of the wounds on Luther's chest. It looks almost as if someone took a hacksaw to him. His armor is rent and there is blood soaked all over the rest of him. One of his eyes is blackened and swollen shut, while the other is unfocused and has a far off look in it.

A long string of continuous curses leave his mouth as he pats down his pockets for a stimpack but finds none. He reaches into Luther's and empties the man's coat. Finding one he immediately stabs it into Luther's chest and injects the healing substance. Pulling out a second he does the same, only pushing this one into his neck. He reaches for a third, but a hand clamps solidly down on his wrist and jerks him down. "They took him," Luther gurgles as blood leaks out of the side of his mouth, "they took him!"

Tyler's eyes widen as he realizes what Luther is saying. "The boy. Nick." It isn't a question, but Luther nods before letting his head fall back against the ground. "Where, who, what happened?" Luther's response is to try and sit up again, but Tyler stops him and forces him to lie back down. "Stay down you fucking idiot, you are going to bleed to death if you try to move anymore!"

Luther's good eye meets Tyler's and there is a focus there. "I overheard them," he manages to say past the blood, "they are taking him to the slavers! To the slavers Tyler!" he grabs the front of Tyler's armor as he speaks. "I heard them. They took him to paradise!"

* * *

Nick's eyes open slowly, but the brightness of the sun forces him to squeezes them shut again. He is laying down, and not in a comfortable position either. His head is throbbing and he can feel every beat of his heart like it is a pounding drum in his chest. His legs are stiff when he tries to move them, and he groans in pain as he feels scabs break and start bleeding as he bends his knee. He cracks open one eye and looks down at himself. He instantly wishes he hadn't. Most of his clothes are gone, leaving him in a pair of underwear and a shirt. His legs are covered in bruises and scraps, many of which are now bleeding again.

His whole body is stiff, as though he recently went through an intensive workout session. He reaches up to rub his neck and is surprised to feel something metal. His fingers explore the object, finding that it encircles his neck and has a large box-like section with small dials and buttons on it. He is about to see if he can use his pipboy to access the thing when a small voice squeaks out from beside him. "I wouldn't mess with it if I were you Mungo."

He turns his head to see a small boy wearing a dirty set of overalls that have seen better days. The kid is covered in a thick layer of dirt and grime, even more so than the normal inhabitants of the wasteland. His small hands are hooked through a chain link fence and he can see that they boys hands are calloused. Yet the thing that strikes him the most is the kids eyes. All the kids from the vault that he had ever seen all looked mischievous and curious, this boys eyes are empty of that. Instead they appear hollow, or even hardened. "Screw with the collars too much and boom! Your stupid Mungo head is gone. Get it?"

Nick manages to sit up and lean his back against the wall of a small shack behind him. "What did you call me? Why do I have this on?"

The kid rolls his eyes as if those are the stupidest questions he has ever heard. "All you Mungos are the same. None of you understand anything. You are a Mungo, an adult. That is a slave collar around your neck. It is to keep us inline." He motions to a collar around his own neck as he speaks. "We all have them, so don't think you are special. Though, you are in there by yourself, so maybe you are special, but only to the slavers, which means something bad for you."

Nick is still trying to make sense of what the kid is talking about when the sound of someone opening an under oiled door draws his attention to the front of the cage he is in. Stepping into the cage are three people. One is dressed in spiked metal armor from head to toe. The one in the middle and the one who seems to be in charge is wearing en expensive crimson suit and carrying a cane. The last man is dressed in the same black armor of the people who attacked him, Luther, and Tyler. The others! What happened to them?

"Well, well, well." the man in the suit speaks as he runs a critical eye over Nick. "I dare say, you have indeed brought me something that is well worth the pay you and your company require Captain." The suited man steps forward and reaches for Nick's arm. Nick automatically snatches his arm back, which earns him a hard blow across the face from the man's cane. "Now, now, I can't have you acting like that now can I. That collar around your neck, I hold the item that makes it explode. Cross me, and you will regret it. Now, your arm."

Nick glares at the man defiantly. The man sighs and steps back. "Ymir, please teach our young friend here that to disobey is a severe crime." The man in the spiked armor chuckles darkly and steps forward. He delivers a hard kick to Nick's head, sending him to the ground. He then grabs his wrist and twists it around behind his back. Nick grits his teeth and works not to shout out in pain. "See, that wasn't so hard was it?" The man in the suit again crouches down. He studies the pipboy on Nicks arm for a few minutes, mutter a few things to himself that Nick couldn't make out. "Very good," he finally says as he steps away and motions for his thug to release Nick, "very good indeed. I know of some people who will pay a high amount for you."

 **Here we are, getting ready for chapter six! Let me know if you guys liked this story. Yes, this chapter means that Tyler's point of view will be joining the fray.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Welcome to Chapter 6. Quick note, I am still new to this website, please be patient with me when it comes to your comments and reviews. I am trying to figure out where they are, and how best to respond to them. That aside, things are about to go crazy in the story with a lot of character history revelations. Enjoy!**

Chapter 6

Here I am again, Tyler thinks somberly, standing outside the gates of Paradise, wondering about the hell that awaits inside. Already his hands are shaking from the memory of all the chems that came out of this place. He can almost feel the rush in his veins, even without having taken anything recently. His palms are sweaty, and he can't shake the sensation that he is only here to get a fix, just like the old days. He grits his teeth and growls softly. He is here for the kid, nothing else. Beside him he can almost see Luther taking in every detail of the place as they approach. He knows that his partner is aware of his past, and thus is likely worried about him, but he will be strong. He doesn't need help from anyone. He will deal with this on his own.

Grouse sees them coming, he already has a sneer on his face, and Tyler already wants to kill him. Just like the old days. "Unless you are here to buy or sell, piss off!" the guard shouts before they are close. "You are lucky you aren't up there on the auction block with the others, after what you pulled! Paradise Falls is home to slavers, and you aren't a slaver any more! Sides, I heard you've make a clean sweep, making the wasteland a better place of some shit like that. You don't belong here!"

Tyler opens his mouth to shout back, but Luther beats him to it. "Grouse right?" Luther's voice is low and cold, almost emotionless. Grouse turns to him, a surprised look on his face, as if he hadn't noticed Luther was even there. The surprise quickly vanishes however when he recognizes who is speaking. "Last time I had the pleasure," Luther continues in his emotionless tone, "you were down on your knees begging for me to just kill you. Too make it quick. I do hope we don't have to have a repeat of the lesson learned that day."

Grouse swallows hard and waves them through without a word. He does give Tyler one last sneer as they pass though. Tyler is interested, he never realized Grouse and Luther had history. "He a friend of yours? I thought you didn't associate with degenerate slavers."

"I work with you don't I." Is his quick response.

Tyler growls in the back of this throat. "I am not a slaver."

Luther looks at him out of the corner of his eye without expression on his face. "And I don't drink."

Tyler is about to ask just what the fucking hell that is supposed to mean, but just then there is a scream followed by a small explosion. The two of them look ahead of them to see a headless corpse lying in the dirt. There is another guard standing at the entrance to Paradise with a Chinese made assault rifle in his hands. They don't stop walking and step over the corpse as though it isn't there, though Tyler has to work to keep from flying off the hook. This place is bringing up way to many memories.

The man standing at the entrance waves to them. "Damn stupid slaves. They know going too far will make em pop. Yet they still go for it every now and then. Waste of good flesh. Nice to see you again Tyler, how has life been treating you?"

Tyler nods at the man, trying to remember his name. "Fine, Forty right, been a while."

Forty nods, "Too long. Think it was that job having to do with that asshole snipe right, did we even get the guy alive?"

Tyler shakes his head. "You went to get him, I was there just to clear out the mines. If you did or didn't get him, not my business."

Forty laughs, "That always was your style, pretend you aren't a slaver, what a fucked up life you have." He looks over at Luther, "Who is your friend?" he asks suspiciously.

Tyler steps forward and slams a fist into Forty's jaw, knocking him to the ground. The raider splutters and raises his rifle, only to have it kicked out of his hands by Luther who proceeds to grab him, hoist him up, and slam him into the metal wall. "Listen you low down son of a whore," Luther growls in a low menacing tone, "you use that tone of voice when speaking to me ever again and I will feed you your own tongue, got it?" Forty growls defiantly.

"I would listen to him, Forty," Tyler suggests, "I'm sure you didn't realize you were speaking to the infamous Black Sheep." Forty's face pales and his jaw drops. Luther releases him and strides into Paradise. "Don't worry," Tyler says as he steps by the terrified slaver, "I think he is in a good mood today."

As He catches up with Luther he can't help but smirk. Luther notices and growls, "The Black Sheep, really? You just had to go and revive that old alias? You couldn't have used something new, or at least something more recent? I thought we already decided that the Black Sheep was dead."

Tyler's smile grows. He is feeling much more confident now. Pissing off Luther always puts him in a better state of mind. "I figured he would have heard of him, and thus would be more affected by the mention of his name. Despite what you may want to think, the Back Sheep is still a legend around Slavers." The two of them have established multiple aliases they can use to influence others in the wasteland. From paragons of goodness, to complete psychopaths who kill just for fun. The Black Sheep is one of the later.

According to the rumors they started spreading about him, the Black Sheep has been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocents, the destruction of multiple rival raider gangs, and is the butcher responsible for the destruction of an entire group of wandering ghouls. They started the story, but then then Three Dog, the DJ for one of the only two radio stations left, took hold of the story and made it into a legend. According to Three Dog, the Black Sheep has had a hand in just about everything bad that has ever happened.

"I hate the Black Sheep," Luther mutters, "he is a dick."

Luther chuckles, "Suits you perfectly." He falls silent though as they approach Eulogy's Pad, the home of Paradise Fall's owner. He swallows hard. All the nerves from before suddenly come rushing back. Her face swims before his eyes. He wonders if she is still here. If she remembers what he tried doing for her. If she even gives a damn anymore.

They enter the dark building and make there way to the main room. The center of the room is taken up by a large heart shaped bed covered in red blankets. Lounging on the bed are two women wearing lacy nightgowns. Both are asleep and Tyler can only make out the face of one, but he knows the other is her, he can tell from the hair. He wants to go to her, to wake her gently, to see how she would react, but Eulogy steps into the room and greets them. "Hello my old associate, It has been far to long since you have graced this place with your presence."

"Eulogy," Tyler manages to say without conveying any of the hate he feels in his voice, "good to see you again."

Eulogy's face switches from friendly to business, "You are lying through your teeth. I must admit I am disappointed, when Grouse radioed up that you were here I was hoping you to be spitting a bit more fire than this. Time has only mellowed you. Now, I don't want to hear anything other than why you have waltzed in here like you own the place. I should have had you killed, but I was curious. Now speak!"

"Fine," Luther says promptly, "we are here looking for someone, someone who was brought to you recently. A kid, young, wearing a vault suit, had a pipboy on his arm. He was brought in by Talon Company mercs. We know he was here, if he still is we want him, if he isn't, we want to know where."

Eulogy's face darkens. "You are brave, to make demands of me. Just who do you think you are? Of course I know of the kid, someone with a pipboy that works is invaluable, and I assure you, he brought me quite the large sum." Tyler leaps forward suddenly and grabs the man by the throat.

"You fucking bastard!" he roars. "Where is the kid!"

"Tyler!" Luther shouts in alarm behind him. He turns his head, and feels a cut open on his cheek from where a blade is being held. Standing behind him is one of the women, the one with the iconic hair cut and the face he cannot forget.

His hold on Eulogy loosens and he drops the man. He turns to the woman, staring into her eyes, searching for any sign of recognition there. "Clover," he whispers, "Clover it is me, Tyler." She tilts her head to the side, as if trying to figure out just what the hell he is talking about. He reaches out, as if to touch her face. She grimaces and swipes her blade at him. He ducks and retreats back. "Easy Damn it!"

Eulogy gets to his feet and brushes himself off. He reaches into his fancy red suit and pulls out a .44 magnum as he moves to stand behind Clover. "There," he says as he raises the gun to the slaves head, "now we have an understanding. How about this, since you were so rude, and since I have an army here, and since I will kill her if you don't, what do you say to doing me a favor?"

"Fuck that!" Luther growls as he reaches for his rifle. Tyler grabs his wrist to stop him.

"What do you want?" He can Feel Luther's eyes glaring into his back, but ignores it. "Tell me, It will get done. I swear it." He grimaces as he realizes he has just repeated the same phrase he once used every time Eulogy used to send him on an errand.

Eulogy notices as well and a smile plays across his lips. "That is right my loyal dog, you will do exactly as I say, and you will go through with it this time. Or the results will be far worse than last time." Tyler already knows what is about to be asked of him. He knows that this time there will be no way for him to escape it. Already he is planning out the trip in his head, making a list of what they will need. "I want the kids from Little Lamplight"

* * *

The lock slides into place and he is once again at the mercy of the bastard he has come to know so well. "You got this all on your own scab," Krenshaw says behind him, "at least one of us enjoys this!" he shouts with a laugh. The air pops with the sound of the whip cracking against his back. The long wound it opens on his back crosses over top of one from a few days ago, reopening it. Two for one, he thinks to himself with a sick humor. The whip cracks again. This time the wound is lower, closer to the burns received his first day when he accidentally backed into one of the furnaces. He can only look down due to the position the stock forces him to stand in. Only two lashes and already blood is pooling on the ground at his feet.

One week. One week here, and yet it feels like an eternity. The locals hadn't waited to make him feel at home. They put him to work right away and didn't hesitate to give him the customary lashes all scabs get after their first fuck up. No chances here, fuck up once, fuck up forever. Another crack of the whip. This time he almost thinks he can feel it, but the moment passes and again there is nothing. Anything would be better than the nothing he feels right now. Even the pain he felt the first time he was lashed would be welcome. A fourth crack, and this time he hears someone suck in their breath. Damn, he had hoped no one would have to see this.

he hates the way the other scabs treat him. Like he his a hero. What is heroic about being locked into a stockade and lashed like a dog? The fifth lash lands and now he hears the muttering of a small crowd. Perfect, now he is on display, a freak show. He wouldn't be surprised if Krenshaw ordered some of the others to be taken from the jobs just to watch this. He is reminded of how small his part in the machine of industry is. Right now, this show, it is all for the sake of the other scabs. This is nothing more than a convenient way for Krenshaw to remind the others that he, and the others from Uptown, hold they leash. They are the masters, and the scabs are the dogs.

The sixth lands, followed quickly by the seventh. Now he can feel it. The lashes have broken through the tough scabs on his back and exposed the still soft and healing flesh beneath. Still, it is not as intense as it should be. He will feel it later, when he wakes up for his shift and all the new scabs that will have hardened during the night crack and start bleeding as he stands. Of course the others will try and console him. They will say he is powerful, that he must be strong to endure such punishment and not cry out. They don't understand, how could they?

He wants nothing more than to cry out. To show the masters that he is indeed below them, that they have won, that he submits and will not cause trouble, that he is no longer worth their time or thought. Yet he cannot. Not matter how low he sinks, he simply can no longer feel the pain. He cannot cry out. Some force that works against him keeps him from doing so. Thus the scabs think he is standing up for them, and the masters think he is defying them. Above him the lock slides open and the stockade is lifted off of his shoulders. Strange, the last three lashes must have landed without him noticing. Hands attempt to lift him, to help him stand, but he angrily shakes them off and stands on his own.

He straightens his back and turns to where Krenshaw stands a few feet away holding the bloody lash with a furious sneer on his face. Something inside of him changes, something hardens even more than it was already, and all the pain he should be feeling manifests itself as rage. He looks Krenshaw in the eye. Despite the seething look of anger on the mans face, he can see fear buried deep beneath that. He smiles, and Krenshaw's face contorts in rage. He turns on his heel and makes his way to the the scabs quarters. He pulls open the door and steps into the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

As soon as he does he roars and slams a fist into the wall, cracking the plaster. Several bones in his hand break, he knows because he hears them crack, like the whip, but he does not feel it. "Nick," a concerned female voice says from across the room, "are you okay?" He looks to see Midea, the scabs matron. She hurries across the room. She takes his shoulder and gently turns him so she can inspect his wounds. He wants to resist, to push her aside and leave, but she is too kind. She clicks her tongue and shakes her head. "What did you do?"

What did he do? What _did_ he do? He can't recall, it must not have been very important. "Nothing," he growls as he allows her to move him over to a cot and sit him down, "nothing important." She clicks her tongue again but does not push it. She moves over to her cot and retrieves a dirty lunchbox from beneath it. She returns to him and takes out a small bottle of liquid. She takes the top off and is about to dab some of it onto a cloth. He stops her by reaching out and clasping her hands in his. "No." he says simply. She opens her mouth to argue, but he gives her a stern look that shuts her up. "Someone else will need it more."

He stands up and makes his way over to the straw mat in the corner of the room. He lies down slowly, trying not to aggravate the wounds on his body any more than they already are. He closes his eyes and attempts to sleep, but again it alludes him. Instead he does what he has done every night for the past week, he remembers. His name is Nick. He is from vault 101. He was forced to leave. He was forced because of his father. He has to find his father and find out why he left. He has been traveling with two mercs to make enough caps to fund the trip. Their names are Tyler and Luther. They are both dead. He is in the Pitt. A hell where slaves are used until they drop dead or become monsters. His name is Nick.

"Hey get up," someone whispers, "it is out shift." They needn't have bothered, he knew, he hadn't been asleep. It is amazing how quickly time can pass when ones thoughts are elsewhere. He stands and joins the crowd shuffling out the door for a shift at the mill. He is surprised when he gets outside to see that the people coming off of a shift are all gathered in the courtyard instead of heading inside for sleep. The new shift mingles with the crowd, trying to figure out what is going on. Whispers about, Ashur is going to speak to them today. As soon as Nick hears this, the man himself appears on the balcony of Uptown above them.

Midea appears at his side with a grim look on her face. "He wants people for the fights." Nick looks at her, but then tilts his head up as Ashur starts talking. The man gives a long speech about how they, the scabs, are the backbone of the Pitt. How without them the glorious future being built here would be nothing more than a dream. Then he asks if there are any among them who wish to fight in the hole for a place among his army. An idea forms in the back of Nick's head. He looks over at one of the masters standing guard at the stairs leading to Uptown. He notices the flimsy rifle in the mans hands. That will not do. He needs real weapons if he is going to pull off this plan taking root in his mind. He has heard rumors that scabs who do well with finding steel ingots in the steelyard often get special benefits. He pushes his way through the crowd towards the mill. He looks up at Ashur. Enjoy your high place now, he thinks to himself, for soon I will cast you down from it.

 **BANG! Do I hear a revolution starting? Maybe. Or maybe it is selfish revenge. Find out by reading the next chapters.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7! Lot of things are going to g down in this chapter. Going to learn a lot about the characters values and limits.**

Chapter 7

This is wrong. That keeps running through Luther's head as they lead the three kids out of Little Lamplight and into the waiting arms of the slavers outside. This is wrong. They cannot seriously be doing this. He has done a lot of terrible things in the past for money, but enslaving someone? This is a new low. It is for the kid. He keeps having to remind himself. It is all for the kid. Would the kid stand for this?

Finding Little Lamplight was easy, Tyler already knew where it was. Getting into the mine was also easy. Convincing the kids who live there that they weren't raiders there to kill them or slavers there to kidnap them was much harder. It took all of his persuasive skills coupled with bribing them with the promise of a Nuka-Cola supply. Now here they are, walking three kids, three children, up out of their home to be enslaved, abused, and possibly killed. This is so wrong.

What bothers him more is that Tyler seems unaffected by it all. He smiled at the kids and played along, he acted all friendly and everything. Now is face is set in a warm smile, but Luther can see that it is fake. He tried talking to his partner, but each time he tried, Tyler changed the subject or totally ignored him. Ever since they went to Paradise, Tyler has not been himself. Luther understands why, better than anyone else.

Paradise is they reason the two of them meet in the first place. Tyler was on a scouting job and just happened to come across him. He had been hiding in an abandoned gas station after fleeing Andale. He was nearly dead from starvation, and Tyler assumed that he was indeed dead, thus he did what any wastelander would do, he proceeded to search Luther's body. While searching, a supermutant walked in, and Luther killed it by taking Tyler's gun off of his back and shooting it in the head. Tyler then decided that whoever this half dead asshole was, deserved to live.

Tyler took him to Big Town, ironically the place where the kids from Little Lamplight are sent when they grow up, where he was treated and regained his health. While Luther was recovering, Tyler did his scouting, for the slavers, seeing who would make good slaves from the small shanty town. However the both of them ended up sticking around to defend the settlement from an attack by even more supermutants. Afterwards the agreed to work together. They decided to meet in Megaton, after Tyler wrapped up his current job. After that, they stuck together.

Tyler told Luther the full story a few months after they joined up, but only after a long night of drinking. Luther also ended up telling Tyler his full story. Now they each know the basics of the others lives. Luther understands that Tyler once had, and admittedly still has, a serious addiction problem and that Paradise was his supplier, but still. Enslaving Children?

Their group reaches the surface. Luther takes one look at the slavers waiting for them and makes a decision. He stops where he is and turns on Tyler. "No."

Tyler freezes in place and slowly turns to him. "No?" he asks. Luther shakes his head and Tyler's face becomes unreadable. He looks away and Luther's heart sinks. Is he really going to go through with this? Finally, Tyler speaks. His words are so low Luther just barely makes them out. "I know." Now there is a pained expression on his partners face. Damn it, he thinks to himself, he is just as tormented about this as I am. "I don't know what else to do." They resume walking.

Luther starts working through possible ways to get through this without enslaving the kids, but everything he thinks of where the children go free ends without them getting the information on where the kid is. Fucking damn degenerate sons of bitches! Let the kids go, no information. Take the kids to Paradise, live with having ruined the lives of three children. Hellsporn scum suckers! There is no good alternative! He is ripped out of his thoughts by the sound of distant gunfire.

He turns his head towards the sounds and can just barely make out the forms of four people. One is running, and the others are chasing. The slavers waiting for the kids also see the action, but they have a better vantage point and thus are able to recognize the approaching group. Whoever is coming causes the slavers to reach for their weapons. Luther takes action. "Run!" he shouts at the kids. "Get back inside and stay there!" The kids disappear without argument.

"So much for that," Tyler growls beside him, "knew we would end up killing some of these fucking slavers. Just hoped it would be in Paradise so I could kill all of them." He draws his shotgun and Luther his rifle. They charge the rest of the way up to the slavers position and attack. The slavers are caught off guard and three of them fall before the other two realize what is happening. Luther throws himself at the nearest one, swinging his rifle like a club. The stock of the gun collides with the slavers head and there is a satisfying crunch as the bastards skull caves in on itself. Beside him Tyler snaps the neck of the last slaver.

Luther kneels and aims at the approaching group. He takes a breath to steady himself, and then fires. His shot just misses the man who is being chased, but it strikes the person behind him square in the face, almost decapitating him. He works the bolt on his gun and sights in on the furthest pursuer. The woman's face swims into focus and he squeezes the trigger. The bullet finds its way into her mouth, splitting her head in half, leaving only her lower jaw attached to her body. He aims at the last of the pursuers, and is about to fire, when the man being chased takes matters into his own hands. He throws himself forward, twisting midair, and peppering the woman with bullets from a submachine gun. Luther has to admit, he is slightly impressed. "Show off." Tyler scoffs.

The man stands and waves at them as they approach. Luther immediately notes that the man has an eyepatch, looks almost like a ghoul, and is wearing a jacket with medals on it, like he is some sort of soldier or something. "Thanks for that," the man pants as he regains his breath, "I thought those bastards would get me for sure. My name is Wernher, and I already know who you two are. I know where your friend is, I saw you at Paradise, I took him."

"You," Luther growls, "where is he?" He steps forward and the man retreats back a step, holding up his hands in surrender.

"Hold on," he pleads, "let me explain. I bought the little worm yes, paid an arm and a leg for him too. Took him to the Pitt. He is there, or at least he should still be there, unless he is dead. But I am your best chance at getting him out of there. I can get you in, I can get him out, but you have to help me. Please, my people are dying."

Luther looks over at Tyler with a raised eyebrow. "Better than dealing with Paradise, but we still have to report in to Eulogy."

Luther turns back to Wernher and nods his head, "Fine, we will work with you." He steps into the mans personal space and snarls in his face. "But let me warn you now, if the kid is dead, I will hold you responsible." The man is shaken, but only a little and nods his understanding. They agree on a meeting point and split up. Luther turns to Tyler, "How will Eulogy take us having failed to get him his slaves?"

A smile appears on Tyler's face, a real smile, "He will be pissed. Probably try and have us killed. Good, looks like I will get to wipe out Paradise after all."

* * *

The trog growls and leaps through the air at Nick, propelled by it's powerful back legs. Nick snarls and engages the trigger on the auto ax. The vicious, rotating blades shred the Trog into chunks of bloody meat. He lowers the bulky weapon and wipes the blood off of his face. He is covered head to toe in blood, but none of it is his, not yet anyways. After entering the Steelyard, he encountered a swarm of the human like beasts known as Trogs. He watched as one poor soul was literally eaten alive before him. He is thankful for the auto ax Midea smuggled to him before he left the mill, it has already saved his life. He looks at the gauge on the weapons side, seeing how much fuel it has left. The tank is nearly empty. He will have to move fast if he wants to get more ingots before nightfall.

He hefts the massive weapon and continues his search through the abandoned steelyard. He keeps his eyes peeled for more Trogs that might be waiting to ambush him, and for his missing friend. The anger he found in himself ever since being brought to the Pitt swells at the thought of his friend, Wild Bill, being dead out here. Bill is the only other scab who is worth a damn in a fight, but he has a heart of gold. Bill helped him to Midea after the first time he was lashed, and constantly volunteered for the job of searching the steelyard so as no others had to.

Nick only knew the man for three days, then Bill went on his usual ingot run, and hasn't come back. The other scabs, most notably a young girl named Milly, all want to believe that he escaped and is free. Nick knows better, he saw the way Bill treated Milly. That man would not leave without her. So that leaves only two options, he is hold up somewhere out here in the steelyard, or he is dead. With the number of Trogs and crazed wildmen about, Nick has few hopes left, but still. If any of the scabs could make it out here, Wild Bill could.

There is a crash and a scream ahead of him. He instinctively crouches and raises the auto ax. A man falls from the window of a nearby factory. Seconds later a Trog drops down upon the dying man and digs into him. The man spots Nick and screams, "Help me!" Nick just tilts his head and watches the gory feast. The man does not die fast. Trogs like to keep their victims alive, eat them while their bodies are still pumping blood. The man screams and screams. But eventually the screams die down into groans and then a soft, wet, gurgling sound. The Trog still has its head buried in the mans torso when Nick cuts into it with the auto ax. The beast has no chance to defend itself and is cut into pieces within seconds.

He turns and examines the building the man fell from. Inside he can just make out the sound of gunfire. The wildmen in there must be trying to defend themselves from a Trog infestation, good luck to them. An idea occurs to him, maybe these wildmen have collected some ingots for him. Not to mention their weapons and equipment will surely be in better condition then the rags he is wearing. He revs the auto ax and moves into the building.

* * *

Luther isn't really sure what to think. One second it seemed he and Tyler were about to be attacked by Eulogy and his thugs. The next that woman in the pink evening dress and carrying the sword is standing over the slaver lord's body with a triumphant look on her face. "This place sucks!" she giggles in a sardonic tone. The other slave girl screams and rushes the woman, but she, like Eulogy, is easily decapitated by the strange woman with the punked hair. She smiles at Tyler, "So you're the new men in my life, name's clover, nice to meet ya lovers."

Luther isn't really sure what to think. Luckily Tyler takes over, because he is still trying to piece together what exactly is going on.

"Well love," Tyler says as he steps forward and takes the explosive collar off of Clover's neck, "you won't be needing this any more." Luther watches curiously as the woman touches her neck with an odd look on her face. She looks at Tyler with a confused and lost expression, "Do I know you lover?"

Luther notes that the smile on Tyler's face is genuine as he speaks, "Yes, Clover, you know me. I used to work here. I promised you I would get you out of here one day. Do you remember?" The woman shakes her head. Tyler touches her face gently, "That is okay, whatever drugs he used to keep you sedated I can supply for you, I promise."

The woman draws back. "No," she states sternly, "I am done with that. You know how long it took me to get to the point where I could actually kill Daddy here?" she points at Eulogy's body as she speaks. "Way too long, Lover. I don't intend on being anyone's toy again. I will not depend on those boring chems anymore. I hate being bored."

Luther chuckles and the woman looks over at him. "Don't worry," he smiles, "our lives are far from boring right now." He steps forward and looks at Tyler, "We should get moving before the other slavers around here figure out what has happened and come after us." He moves towards the door but realizes Tyler isn't following. "Hey," he shouts over his shoulder, "love birds, lets get our happy asses out of here shall we? We have an important date with the man who took our friend."

"Come on Clover," Tyler says as he joins Luther, "you need to come with us. You stick around here and these slavers will eat you alive."

Clover rolls her eyes, "I know that lover, why do you think I waited until someone else was here to kill Daddy?" The three of them make their way through the compound towards the exit. Clovers presence gains them a few glances, but they make it out without any trouble. At least until they reach the outer guard post.

Luther is the first to notice that the guards are missing and points it out to Clover and Tyler. He unstraps his rifle and makes sure it is fully loaded as they walk towards the guard station. He looks around with a wary eye. There are no signs of a struggle, so the guards were not attacked. He hears something behind him, but a bullet lodges itself into the armor on his shoulder before he can turn. The force of the impact sends him stumbling forward and he only just manages to get behind a low wall of sandbags before more bullets wiz through the air. "Fuck!" he shouts. His shoulder is fine, but damn is it going to be sore tomorrow.

He looks frantically for Tyler, and spots his partner across from him behind an overturned table. The bullets cease for a moment and a voice shouts out, "Hey, Luther, who is cowering now?" Luther curses under his breath, Grouse, the sneaky bastard. They walked into a fucking ambush! Damn it! "Step out and die like a man, Luther," Grouse taunts, "or am I going to have to drag you out like the little bitch you are?"

He is about to respond, but hears Tyler cry out in pain. He looks over just in time to see his partner forced back onto cover after he tried to attack by a blue orb of electrical energy. His partner convulses on the ground in pain and Clover tries to help, but there isn't much she can do. This is the same weapon used on them when the kid was taken. Luther peeks out from his cover and feels a rage start to boil in him. Grouse is flanked on both sides by two men wearing the same black armor as the people who attacked them earlier. Luther snarls like a feral animal and raises his weapon. He squeezes off a single shot, that fails to hit any of the three attackers. The bullet instead pings off of a nearby car. "Ha," Grouse laughs, "you can't even hit your mark anymore! You must be getting soft Luther!"

Luther looks over to see that Tyler has managed to free himself from his seizure and knows what his partner is planning. Tyler aims his shotgun and looks over at him for confirmation. Luther nods once, and Tyler fires off two quick shots. In response Bullets pepper their positions, but nothing hits them. "What the hell is this," Grouse shouts angrily, "I was expecting a fight! Neither one of you is worth a damn!"

Luther rolls his eyes. "Hey Grouse?"

"What?" The raider spits angrily.

"You are a fucking idiot."

"What the hell are you..." The slavers words are lost as the car both Luther and Tyler had shot explodes. chunks of the slaver and his mercenarys sail through the air along with various car parts.

Luther stands up with a laugh. "What an asshole."

Tyler nods his head. "We should move though, the others will be down here to investigate what that noise was about." The three set off towards the point Wernher told them to meet. The group keeps a good pace, wanting to put as much distance between themselves and Paradise as they can. Eventually Tyler looks over at Luther and asks, "What exactly was Grouse's problem with you?"

Luther laughs as he remembers. "Oh that is simple. I fucked his sister."

* * *

"Fuck you sister, fuck you, fuck your whole damn family!" the wildman shouts as he sprays bullets at ever shadow that moves, never once getting close to where Nick his concealed behind one of the support beams of the massive structure the wildmen were using as their own personal castle. He grimaces in pain as more blood wells from his side where a Trog got him earlier in the factory. That factory turned out to be a mad house. Crazed robots, Trogs everywhere, and the remaining wildmen had not given up their precious ingots easily.

After loosing his auto ax, he had to make due with a rusty metal pipe he found in an old mine car. He eventually found a decent assault rifle and a few magazines of ammo for it on the body of a dead wildman. After leaving that factory, he made is way up to the rooftops of the steelyard, only to find that the wildmen were collecting all the ingots and hording them at the top of some sort of tower like contraption. He fought his way up, working in a blind bloodhaze, his only thoughts focused on finding more ingots. Until he came across Bill.

The rage that had been keeping him going vanished at the sigh of the man. Bill was curled up in the fetal position, hidden away in a far corner, clutching a .32 pistol and a sack of six ingots. His torso was riddled with bullet holes, many more than it would have taken to kill a person. The wildmen had used him for target practice. Nick continued on with a new sort of determination. Now the ingots are just a bonus, now revenge is all that matters.

That is why he is here, listening shouts about his sister, concealed from the last of the wildmen, and the raider groups leader to boot. Clad in heavy metal armor, the man proved difficult to kill. Nick's rifle is on its last magazine and he knows that he does not have long before the wound on his side brings him down. He looks out from his cover and sees the wildman has his back to him. Without thinking, he charges. He does not shout or roar, he moves silently, and leaps upon the man's back, wrapping his arms around his neck. The man bucks like a wild horse, trying to throw Nick off, but he holds on with an iron grip.

The wildman attempts to raise his brutal sawed off shotgun to Nick's head, but Nick manages to get it out of his hands. The wildman gasps for air, and tries backing into the support beams to crush Nick. Nick growls as his back screams in pain each time the wildman slams him into the beam, but he maintains his grip. Finally the wildman goes to his knees, and Nick presses his advantage. He forces the man down onto his face and rips the spiked shoulder guard off of the man's armor. He raises the plated armor above his head and slams it down into the skull of the wildman. The first blow kills the man, the others are just to sate Nick's bloodlust. Finally, after successfully turning the wildman's head into a bloody paste, Nick steps back.

He limps the rest of the way up the tower to where the ingots have all been piled. He stuffs them all into his rucksack. He struggles with the heavy load, but somehow makes it all the way back down to the ground level. He can see Trogs lurking in the shadows, but for some reason they hang back and do not attack. The one Trog that is out in the open quickly scrambles into the shadows of a broken sewage pipe when it spots Nick approaching. Trogs are not smart. All that is left of the people they used to be is their animal instincts. Yet they know enough to recognize when an alpha predator walks among them.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone, sorry about the delay with this chapter. I caught the plague or something. This one proved difficult to write, but I am satisfied with the result, hope you all enjoy!**

Chapter 8

The gates open and they all rush in. Nick almost feels sorry for the other poor sobs who hoped they would have what it takes to make it as a fighter in the hole, but then they attack him and all pity disappears. The other scabs are pathetic. A lifetime of malnutrition, disease, radiation exposure, and abuse has left them thin and ragged. Yet they make up for their physical condition in their determination to live. They have made it this far, they want to make it further. It is was not for Nick, they one they have all now decided is the biggest treat and have temporarily joined forces to defeat, one of them may well have made it.

Nick is here though. He is with them at the bottom of the hole. The master's favorite past time. Crowded along the metal dome that tops the hole he can see them all watching. They leer, goad, and cheer as blood is spilled. Many have placed bets on who will win. Even more of them hope no one will live long enough to be a winner. Nick despises them, yet, at the same time, he needs them. They are key. They are who will carry him into the ranks of the master's army. They are the ones who will make everything he has planned possible. All he has to do is play to them, make them love and hate him, make them fear him. If he does that, if he kills as though he is a wild beast, then everything will fall into place.

A scab comes at him wielding nothing more than a scrap of metal crudely shaped into a shiv. Despite himself, Nick cannot help but laugh. The fool. The poor, idiotic fool. Nick holds his arms out, in a welcoming manner, and smiles at the scab. The man lets out a battle cry and charges forward with determination. Nick can see past the false hope the scab displays, there is fear in the man's eyes. That is all Nick needs to see. Stepping out of the way at the last moment, the momentum of the scab's swing carries him forward, right past Nick, exposing his back. Nick plows the auto ax he took from the first scab he killed today into the back of his new challenger. The scab screams in agony as he is lifted off of the ground and cut to ribbons. Blood rains down on Nick from where he stands beneath the increasingly mangled body of the scab. His roar matches the scabs, and eventually drowns it out.

He heaves, sending what is left of the scab's body flying into another scab who screams in terror as the corpse pins her to the ground. Four scabs left standing. two rush him together and he raises the auto ax to meet them. The first to reach him quickly dies in a show of his own gore and meat. The next slides under Nick's attack and manages to cut a long gash into his leg. Nick growls and hurls the auto ax at the man. The rotating blades catch the scab square in the chest and slam him into the wall where the still running weapon destroys his body chunk by chunk. Nick turns to the last two scabs. He is weaponless now, and these two have been smart enough to hang back until now.

One of the scabs is elderly, with long greasy white hair and a beard. The other is younger, his face not yet mauled by the radiation in the air. Both are circling him now, both looking for an opportunity. Nick stands solid, not turning his head to follow their movements. Instead he is focused on something in front of him, something that will come in handy soon. The old man moves first, charging Nick with a silent roar. Nick responds by leaping towards the man and grabbing a fist full of white hair. He yanks down, pulling the old man to the ground. He drags the squirming man to the side of the hole. Above him the crowd of masters erupt with bloodthirsty shouts of encouragement as they realize what he intends to do. The man doubles his attempt to break free as he also realizes his fate. Nick reaches the ventilation shaft and mercilessly forces the hair into the spinning metal fan. He steps back and watches as the old scab's hair is caught in the fan and he is dragged to his doom. Blood splatters Nick's face and the fan splutters to a stop.

He turns to the last of the scabs, the young man. He snarls and stalks towards him slowly. The young man cries out in fear and retreats back. He tries to climb up out of the hole, but the masters push him back down. Nick grabs the young man by the rags he wears and slams him against the wall. They young man tries to beat Nick with the chunk of piping he carries, but Nick does not feel anything. He places a hand over the mans face, and slams his head into the wall. He feels the man's skull crack and cave in beneath his hand. He releases the man and throws his arms up. The crowd of masters cheer. They have been wiped into a frenzy by his bloodlust. He makes his way back to the door he entered from, but finds that it is still barred. At first he is confused, all the scabs are dead, but then he remembers. He turns to where the scab woman his still pinned beneath the mangled corpse of another scab. She had been lying still, hoping she would be overlooked, but now she screams and struggles to escape from under the corpse.

Nick does not give her the chance to escape. He places a foot on the copse and pressed down. The woman screams as the pressure on her body increases. "Please!" she suddenly shouts. Nick is stunned. She can speak. She is a scab, and scabs are human, but only animals are allowed in the hole. Only animals fight they way they have been fighting. Animals do not speak. "Please," she whimpers, "please, save me." There are tears streaming down her face. Nick's heart cries with her.

"Okay." he says after finding his voice. He leans down close to her and wraps his arms comfortingly around her head. "Okay." he repeats again. There is a way for him to save her. He can do this. He does not want to, but he can. He takes a deep breath, and saves the woman from the Pitt and the hole, forever.

* * *

"Son of a bitch." Luther mutters as he watches the kid snap the woman's neck. He steps back from the rusty iron grate he had been watching the match through and runs a hand over his head. "That, that just does not seem like him. Something here is very wrong."

"We need to nab him and get our asses out of this cesspit before things get worse." Tyler growls. "Lets just go down there and get him already."

"No," Wernher states defiantly, "you need my help to get out of here with the kid and your lives. I won't help until my people have what they need to live free lives." Without realizing it, Luther rests a hand on his gun. He does not trust Wernher. The man may have gotten them into the pitt, but the man is hiding something major from them. "Come on," the man continues after a few seconds, "we should get moving. I will explain the plan along the way."

Wernher leads them through a complex series of catwalks that cross over the top of the pitt. Eventually they leave the noise of the steel presses behind and enter a much more quiet area. A cold prickle travels down Luther's spine as they walk. Something about this whole situation has him on edge. He can almost sense the danger pressing in around himself. His fight or flight instincts are screaming that something his about to happen, but there is nothing around. He looks over at Tyler and can tell that his partner feels the same way from the fact that he has his shotgun out and ready. They stop at a ledge and Wernher motions for them to look down. They do, and Luther suddenly realizes just how ruthless Wernher is.

Below them, contained in a series of cages, are hundreds of the mutant trogs Wernher had told them about on their way here. The beasts are mostly quiet now. A few prowl about the edges of their cages, but most are lying contently on the ground, waiting to die or be released. "What the hell is this about?" Luther demands, turning to face Wernher.

The orange lighting of the mills far behind them casts Wernher's face in an eerie light as he answers. "This is the salvation of my people. It has taken me years to collect all these trogs. I plan to unleash them on the slavers in Uptown, but, these things won't go anywhere near a place that is well lite. So, I need you two to go in and take down the generators keeping the floodlights running. I also have set in motion the plans for the scabs to rebel. They should be distraction enough for you to get into the generator rooms without much trouble."

"Wait," Tyler interjects, "won't the scabs get caught between the trogs and the slavers? That will lead to a lot of dead people who will never get this freedom you are so keen on them getting."

"He does not give a damn about the scabs." Luther growls, his eyes still glued on the trog cages. "All he cares about is making the slavers suffer. I'm guessing that he has been spitted by them and his wounded pride is what has sparked this whole fucking rebellion thing. Well to hell with it." He stands up and glares at Wernher. "I will not be a pawn in your fucking revenge fantasy."

"I already told you," Wernher shouts, "I am your only chance of getting out of here alive with your friend. This is my price, bring down the generators, I get you out. You won't have to do anything else. That is all."

"What did they do?" Tyler growls. "What did these bastards do to make you so hell bent on revenge that you are willing to sacrifice the lives of hundreds of slaves just to make them suffer for a few hours?"

Wernher sneers, "A couple of thugs like you would never understand! This isn't just about my revenge, this is about building a future for these fucking people! If a hundred of them have to die in the process then so be it! I will get revenge, I will get the cure, and I will fucking see this through no matter what!"

"The cure?" Luther demands, "what cure?" Wernher's face pales as he realizes what he has said. Luther steps forward and gets right in his face. "What, cure?"

Wernher swallows hard, "There is a cure for the radiation these people have suffered from. Ashur, the leader of the slavers, he found it, and he is planning on using it to further his goals. Can you imagine what people would be willing to do for the promise of no longer having to worry about radiation? They would throw themselves at his feet and worship him like he were some sort of god! I can't let that happen! He would enslave thousands!"

"And you would much rather someone like you have all that power," Tyler spits, "because you are such a better person and would never abuse it."

"Are you saying that you would do better!" Wernher roars. "You think that you are incorruptible, that you are better than me? You two are filthy mercenaries! You would sell the cure to the highest bidder and not give a damn about what they did with it! At least I am trying to help!" His words spark an idea in Luther's mind. The cogs start rolling and he likes where all his thoughts go. He steps away from Wernher with forced reluctance. Time to put on a show.

"Fine," he fakes acceptance. "We will get your fucking lights off. Just tell us how to get in." He steps back up to Wernher and growls, "You had better pull through with getting the kid out safely or I swear upon whatever fucked up deity that runs your life, I will find you, and I will make death seam like a vacation." That part he did not have to act.

Wernher nods, "Don't worry, I never back out on a deal." He explains the plan to them and then leaves to give the signal to the scabs. Luther and Tyler start off in the direction that will take them to Uptown, following Wernhers directions to go down into a sewage tunnel so as they could enter undetected.

Halfway to their destination Tyler speaks up, "So exactly how much of Wernher's plan do we intend to follow before we go and do whatever madness it is that you have cooked up?"

Luther looks over his shoulder with a large smile on his face. "Why, what ever are you talking about? We are going to follow Wernher's instruction to the letter. Now if we just happen to make a small detour into Ashur's stronghold, that is just a mistake. If we also just happen to find the cure and then not run into Wernher again, that also is just a mistake."

Tyler smiles, "Well, imagine that, us making so many mistakes on one mission. We just might have to leave the pitt and never return. What a fucking shame. Just when I was starting to get used to the smell of rotting meat and burning hair."

* * *

Chaos. That is the only way Nick can describe what is happening. Chaos. Damn it all, things were going so well. After his ninth fight in a single day, he was finally approached by one of the masters. The man demanded that Nick accompany him to Uptown to meet Ashur. The man also returned the gear the masters had taken from him when he arrived. He was surprised by how good it felt to be back in his leather jacket and armor pads. Then, after they finally reach Ashur's mansion, The other scabs start a fucking rebellion.

He saw them com swarming through the same entrance he had been escorted through. They came running up the catwalks wielding modified auto axes and screaming like monsters. There were hundreds of them, but even with their numbers, the masters guns quickly cut their ranks in half and stopped their charge. The stalemate did not last long, however, as the power keeping the flood lights suddenly wend down. At first Nick did not understand the panic that swept through both sides of the conflict, until the trogs started swarming from every direction. The battle, turned into a massacre.

Nick could do nothing but stair as masters, slaves, and trogs alike all tore each other pieces. Then a hand clamped down on his shoulder and his instincts kicked in. He spun around and landed a hard kick to the side of the man behind him. He leaps back and draws his 10mm, intending to put a bullet through the man's head, but a second man appears and knocks the gun out of his hand. Nick moves to slam a fist into the second man's face, but the bastard moves out of the way and slams a metal plated fist into Nick's side.

Nick stumbles back, trying to catch his breath and stay out of range of his attackers. He is slightly surprised when the two men do not press the attack and instead just start yelling at him. Above them there is a sudden scream. Nick barely manages to move out of the way before the mangled body of a master falls to the ground. The trog that killed him drops down seconds later and leaps upon Nick's chest, latching on with its claws and sinking its razor-like teeth into his shoulder. He screams in agony and rage as he tries to force the beast off of him, but it has him pinned and there is no getting it off. The trog has tasted blood and is wiped into a feeding frenzy.

The trog splits open along its spine and blood sprays in every direction. Nick pushes the corpse of of himself and scrambles to his feet. Both of the men who attacked him seconds before stand before him with raised guns. That makes no sense to him, if they had guns, wouldn't they have just shot him instead of trying to take him by hand? Maybe they are stupid. He hopes they are. He rolls forward and scoops up the dead masters rifle from where it landed when the body fell from the catwalk. He brings it up, and freezes in place as he comes face to face with the barrel of one of his attackers shotgun. He is about to take a chance and try to knock the gun away, but the other man shouts sternly, "Nick!"

That voice, that tone, there is no way. There is no way at all. He saw the man who that voice belongs to die. He saw him shot in the head by the people who dragged him to the slavers. He is hallucination. It cannot be him, It simply cannot! He swallows hard and moves his eyes from the barrel of the shotgun to the second man standing just to side. He looks the man over. Short hair, rough beard, a long coat with leather and some metal padding, and enough pockets to carrying all of his things. He moves his eyes to the man holding the gun to his head. Metal armor, a full beard, and enough spikes and bloodstains to make a dead man look alive. He finds his voice, "Tyler, Luther?"

The gun moves from his head. "Yeah," the gruff voice responds, "It is us kid." Tyler helps him to his feet and looks him over. "Damn, I knew you would look bad, but still, damn."

Luther steps up with a look in his eyes that Nick does not recognize. "We saw you in the hole kid, I'm sorry we couldn't get here sooner. We were delayed, multiple times." Pity, that is what the look is.

Something inside of Nick coils itself up like a snake about to strike. He shakes his head and looks past them. There will be time for reuniting later, right now he has unfinished business. "Move," he demands."

"What?" Luther asks with a raised eyebrow.

"I said, move." Nick responds in a low growl. Luther makes a confused face and steps aside. Nick pushes past him and storms into the mansion. He hears them shout out and follow, but he does not listen to what they say. He enters the elevator and pushes the only button left on the panel. Luther and Tyler manage to get in just before the door closes. They stare at him, demanding he explain what is going on, what is wrong. He does not, he can't hear them. The doors open and he steps out. A slaver leaps from behind a pillar and makes to shoot him with a combat shotgun. He wrenches the weapon out of the man's hands and kills him with it.

He stalks down the hallway, his eyes glued on the only man left. Ashur. The slaver is ranting. yelling at Nick that he has ruined it all. Nick cannot hear him. Ashur's power armor appears like a monster in his eyes. deformed and evil. His voice is like nails on a chalkboard. Ashur screams something about building a new world as Nick steps up onto the mans desk and levels the combat shotgun with the slavers eyes. The slaver stairs at him with disbelief in his eyes, unable to comprehend that this is his end. Nick sneers, and pulls the trigger.

* * *

"The world I am building will be great! It will be a place free of the scourge of radiation and filth like you! I will..." Ashur's speech is cut off as Nick pulls the trigger and paints the walls with the former paladin's brains. Tyler flinches involuntarily. This whole time he had been telling himself that it couldn't possibly be the same Ashur. Yet it was. He recognized the man the second he laid eyes on him. He knows that he probably would have ended up killing the man just like Nick had, but still, seeing the kid just gun him down like that. He shakes his head and turns to Luther, "Find the cure."

Luther opens his mouth to respond, but Nick interrupts, "What cure?"

Luther glances over at Tyler, a few hours ago they were asking the same question. "Apparently our friend Ashur there has some sort of cure for radiation sickness or some bull like that. I expect it is just some new form of radex or somthing."

Nick steps down from Ashur's desk and walks over to them. "We need to find it." He turns on his heel and strides down a hallway to their right.

Tyler looks over to see Luther staring blankly at the body of Ashur. "I guess you are just as bother by what just happened as I am?"

Luther looks up slowly and shakes his head. "I shouldn't be. I realize that we would probably have had to kill him eventually, what with our plans to steal the cure and our part in the rebellion, but that was just, indecent. Something is wrong with the kid. I realize that this place is harsh and hellhole, but he has changed, and I don't know if it is for the better."

A scream followed by a gunshot sends them running down the hall the kid went through. They enter a medical room to see the kid standing over a dead woman on the ground and holding a child's crib in his hands. There is a look on his face, one of shock. "She came at me," he says in a flat tone, "with a fucking knife. All I did was ask where the cure was and she started screaming that I couldn't have her." He looks up at them and she shock vanishes, replaced by anger. "The cure is a drug, it is this child. Hers and Ashur's, they were experimenting on their own fucking daughter!"

Tyler moves to a nearby computer where a message is flashing. He reads it as Luther kneels and looks at the woman's face. Luther looks up at Nick with a sick look on his features, "So you just killed her? You killed a woman for trying to save her daughter from you? Have you seen yourself? No wonder she attacked you? What they hell Nick?"

"He isn't wrong through," Tyler says as he finishes reading the message on screen, "They were running tests on her. Seems they have even tried flooding her crib with radiation and nothing effects her. Not exactly stellar parenting."

"Enough bickering," Nick growls as he makes for the exit with the baby and the crib still in his arms, "we are leaving and we at taking the girl with us."

Tyler runs to catch up with him. "There is a a man named Wernher, he wants the child too. We came in to get the cure before he could. We didn't know it was a child, but I bet he did, the lying bastard." The three of them enter the elevator and take it down to the main floor. "Shit," Tyler curses as he realizes their position, "I was hoping we could smuggle the cure past Wernher and get out of here with his help. No way we can sneak a fucking child past him."

"You're damn right you can't," Wernher growls as the elevator doors open to the ground floor. Tyler automatically lifts his shotgun and beside him Luther pushes the kid back into the elevator. "Don't even try it." The man growls, indicating the slaves flanking him with those large weapons of theirs. "You even think about fighting your way out of here and we will cut you into bits. Now hand over the girl."

"Fuck you!" Tyler shouts, ready to jump in and fight.

"Wait," the kid orders as he pushes past them to stand before Wernher. "You, you are Wernher right?" Wernher nods. "Then you listen to me. This child is under my protection. If you so much as touch here with one of your dirty hands I will feed you to the trogs." Wernher cross his arms, unimpressed, until there are several snarls from behind him. He turns to see a group of trogs making their way into the mansion.

"Shit," he whispers, "I thought you said they were all dead!" he says to a nearby slave. The slave shrugs and raises his auto ax. The trogs growl and the nearest one crouches, ready to pounce. Then Nick steps in front of the slaves. The trogs and eveyone else freezes in place. Tyler feels a cold sweat break out on his face. Stupid kid, he is going to go and get himself kill after all our efforts to save his ass! But the trogs do not attack. They back off. They cower as Nick approaches them. The mutants hiss and growl, but they still retreat. The last one gives a final growl, and then disappears into the darkness outside.

Nick turns back to the stunned group behind him and marches back to Wernher. "Do you understand?" he growls. Tyler watches, more than a little impressed, as Wernher backs down and nods meekly. "Good," Nick continues, "now follow through on your deal with my associates and get us the hell out of here."

 **See why this may have taken a while. A whole lot of content in here. Oh, and the thing with the trogs, I made the streatch that Nick has acquired the animal friend perk and that now includes trogs, which are essentially animals. I figured not attacking is the same as respecting or fearing the wanderer. Leave a review if you liked or hated, all is welcome.**


	9. Chapter 9

**So with Fallout 4 coming out soon, super hyp with that, I wanted to add some things that I think will be present in the new gen games. This is good because it helps with my overall story arc. A little less action in this chapter, hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 9

Tyler and Luther are working the handles of the rial car while Nick and Clover attempt to quiet Maria. Well, Nick at least is trying, Clover gave up half an hour ago. Nick is still not sure about the strange woman, and neither Luther nor Tyler have given much insight as to where she came from. While he would like nothing more than to tear the woman with the strange haircut a new one for her snobby attitude about the baby, Maria has kept him busy since they left the pitt. While the crib they found her in is a wonder of cryo technology and could probably keep her perfectly preserved for days, Nick isn't sure he is good enough with the technology to properly monitor her life sines. Thus Maria has been out of the crib for the majority of the trip, and she has been a handful.

Nick hadn't realized just how difficult taking the girl along with them would turn out to be. At the time, he had been so focused on making sure that Ashur and anyone else from the pitt never again managed to cause such misery that he hadn't considered what may have been best for the small girl. Hell, he hadn't even thought to look for any sort of baby milk, diapers, or formula or anything in that case. Luckily Luther had and had nabbed a a few weeks worth of child supplies from the mansion before they even came across that man Luther and Tyler called Wernher.

Nick had no idea who the man was or what made him dislike him so much, but from what he was told about the bastard later he was glade he hadn't trusted him. Maria lets out a loud cry and he sighs. He reaches into the nearby footlocker and takes out her baby bottle. He mixes together some formula and picks lifts her out of her crib. He attempts to give her the bottle, but she pushes it away feebly and cries even louder. "Shit." he mutters tiredly. All of that, all that fighting, killing, and mayhem just to get stuck with a fucking whelp. He again offers the girl the bottle and again she refuses it.

"Fuck," Clover shouts from the back of the rail car where she is curled up at Tyler's feet, "will you shut that little bitch up! I am trying to get some sleep!"

Nick's tempter flares, "I don't know what she wants damn it! I have offered her the bottle, she cries! I try and put her down for a nap, she cries! At least I am trying! If it were left to you we would have left her in a dumpster back there! So if you are not going to help, the least you can do is keep your whore mouth shut!"

The woman stands and whips out a wicked looking sword. "Call me a whore one more time boy, and I will feed you your own fucking genitals!"

Nick opens his mouth to shout back, but Luther interjects. "Enough!" he roars in a commanding tone that makes everyone, even Tyler, jerks back in surprise. Luther, unlike Maria, had been totally silent since leaving the pitt, occasionally looking over at Nick with a worried expression on his face. Nick watches as Luther steps away from the levers that operate the rail car and walks over to him. Luther holds his hands out for Maria, "Give her to me." Wordlessly Nick hands the child over. He watches as Luther turns himself so that his body shields Maria from the wind and picks up the bottle of formula. Luther takes the top off of the bottle and dips the end into the formula before screwing it back on and offering it to her. Nick watches, unbelieving, as the girl takes the bottle and drinks contently.

Nick, along with the others, watches in amazement as Luther gently rocks back and forth on his feet and hums a gentle lullaby. Once the girl finishes the bottle he continues to rock and hum. Nick can see Maria's eyes getting heavy and so he pushes the cryo crib to Luther's feet and opens the top. Luther crouches down and places Maria gently in the crib and proceeds to swaddle her in the blankets, as if he had done it a hundred times before. The little girl yawns once, then falls asleep. Luther closes the top of the crib and activates the cryo. He taps in a few keys and stands back up. "There, that should keep her for a few days. I set the timer so the crib will automatically open in a day for her to be taken out and burped." He looks at Nick and winks, "I will leave that to you."

Luther rejoins Tyler at the hand crank and Nick falls back into a sitting position. "Shit," he mutters looking up at Luther, "I never knew you were a mother type person." His tone is dark and there is contempt there as well. Even he is taken aback by the harshness in his own voice, but he says nothing to take it back. Luther, however, does not look offended.

"Hey," Tyler grunts, "the kid does have a point. I have know you for a long time. Never saw you act that gentle with anyone. What, marital duties tied in with genocide and using humans as test subjects?" Nick has no idea what Tyler is talking about, but notices that Luther bristles at his words. Luther does not speak, but the gentle look he had while holding Maria is gone and has been replaced by an unreadable mask.

Nick grumbles under his breath and dangles his legs off of the edge of the platform. He looks out at the horizon. Far behind them he can still see the orange haze of the pitt. As they were leaving fires were raging everywhere. It also sounded as through there was still plenty of fighting going on. He thinks of Midea and the kindness she showed him. He hopes she is alright, and that she finds a way to actually make things better for the other scabs. He looks down at the his feet and the earth rushing past beneath them. He rolls his shoulder, feeling the fresh scars on his body stretch. He refuses to grimace as small twinges of pain flare from some of the more painful wounds. While part of him feels as though he has abandoned the scabs and the others in the pitt, the rest of him hopes that they can't control the fires and that the whole place goes down in flames.

Turning his gaze in the direction they are traveling, he attempts to remember the wasteland he was taken from. It is strange. He has only been gone for a few weeks, but it feels as though it has been an eternity. He tries to think of some good memories, he tries to convince himself that he wants to go back, but all he can think of are the raiders who captured him, the people who tried to kill him, and the fucking slavers who sent him to the pitt. The anger that has become such a familiar part of him recently surfaces. He wants a place where he does not have to fight for his life. He wants a place where he feels safe. He looks over at little Maria's crib, and is envious of her. She has such a place. While in her crib nothing can touch her. She lives on, unaware and unaffected by the harsh world outside.

He growls. A low, rumbling sound that comes from the back of his throat. He pushes his palm against the metal flooring of the rail car and it makes an empty echoing sound. The sound immediately brings memories of the vault to his mind. Pictures of the long, dark, metal hallways fill his mind. The faces of all the people he ever knew swim in his eyes. Even there, in the place where he was born, he had never felt safe. He had always hid from the others. To avoid what they thought of him. He tries to imagine how they would all react to to seeing him now. Covered in the dirt, sweat, and blood of the wasteland. They would drive him out again. The only one who would even try and look past the outside would be...

Amata. Her face fills his mind, blocking out the faces of all the others. He pictures her, wondering if she has changed any. How long has it been since he left? A month, two months, a year for all he can tell. He thinks about her, remembering all the trouble she used to get the two of them into. The spark in her eyes whenever she came up with some prank they could pull on the the vault bullies. What would she think of him now? If she looked past all the dirt. All the the sweat. All the blood. Does he know himself?

He closses his eyes and concentrates. His name is Nick. He came from the vault. He was forced to leave because of his dad abandoning him. He as to find his dad and find out why. He travels with Tyler, Luther, and now a woman named Clover and a baby named Maria. He can't remember if he has enough caps to fund the trip to GNR where his father supposedly went last. The trail is cold now. He has killed. He has killed a lot. He has killed others who were scabs, slaves, and he did it for revenge. He got his revenge. He liked getting his revenge. It felt good. He opens his eyes as he realizes what Amata would think of him. She would cast him out as well.

* * *

Tyler lifts his nose and sniffs at the air. Something has changed. The wind has been moving over them due to their speed, but now it is moving faster. He looks down at the sand and dirt rushing by beneath the rail car and can see small swirls of dust swishing by the tracks. He looks out at the horizon, and his eyes widen as he sees the distant haze that can only be one thing. He steps away from the hand crank and rushes over to the foot locker. "Tyler," Luther shouts, "whats wrong?" He does not answer, he just points at the cloud in the distance. A few seconds later Luther is right next to him, helping him frantically search the locker.

"What," Cover asks nervously, "what is the matter lover?"

Tyler finds the gas masks and stands back up. They don't have filters attached to them. "Shit." He looks at Clover. "A Dust storm is coming our way. Look." He points out the now obvious wall of radioactive materials approaching them. "We need to find some filters for these masks or we are done for."

Clover joins Luther in searching the locker. Tyler goes over to where Nick has fallen asleep with the girl's cribs wrapped in his arms. He gives the kid a small kick to the legs to wake him up and tosses a mask to him. "Put this on, don't ask why, just do it." Nick grumbles but pulls the mask on. Tyler pulls his on and turns back to Luther and Clover. "Come on damn it," he shouts, "they would not put masks on this hunk of shit without filters!"

"Got them!" Luther shouts over the now howling wind. He stands and tosses two to Tyler before pulling on his own mask and helping Clover with hers. Tyler attaches his filter and takes a deep breath of the pure oxygen filling his lungs. He turns to the kid and grabs his face, which causes the kid to squirm and curse at him. "Hey," Tyler shouts over the wind, "this is me trying to save your little fucking life pussy! Again! So stop struggling and let me put this damn filter on your fucking mask!" He finally gets the filter on and gives the kid a hard shove. "Seriously, what the fuck is with you all of a sudden?" The kid glowers at him and he does not wait for an answer.

He turns his back on the kid and grabs the crank again. He heaves down on it, struggling to get the rail car moving fast again. Their momentum has slowed drastically. Now he can barely get the mechanisms moving again. The rail car is quickly enveloped by the howling winds and stinging sand. Luther joins him and they pick up speed. "We need to get into cover before the tracks are buried!" Luther shouts over the wind. Tyler nods and together they struggle to keep the car moving. Nick appears through the haze and joins Luther on his side. The three of them keep the car moving, but Tyler can tell they are slowing down. He can't see his hands anymore, and he hopes that Clover and the baby are still on the car.

They crank and crank. The winds keep howling. Tyler's arms quake. His teeth are gritted and every heave feels as if it may be his last. He can feel small pieces of radioactive dust working its way into the cracks of his armor. The small flecks burn like tiny embers stuck to his bare skin. All around them there is the eerily green glow of the radiation carried by the storm. He heaves and pulls his side of the crank down. As he does, his grip slips and he falls forward. The crank comes up to meet him, slamming into his face and shattering the glass of his mask. The filtered air is sucked out and almost instantly dust and sand start filling the space.

Blood spurts form his nose and eye and he can feel his consciousness slipping. He tries to stand, pushing himself up onto his arms, but the crank comes back down and slams into the back of his head. He falls onto his face and does not try to move again. He attempts to cover the mask, hoping to keep some of the radiation out, but he cant. Bits of glass, dirt, and sand cut at his face. He attempts to call out, but his mouth is stung by the sand and his voice is carried away by the wind. He can feel it. The radiation is in his skin and lungs. He can feel it burning through him. What a shitty way to die.

A hand suddenly latches onto his ankle and drags him backwards. Clover's face swims before his unfocused eyes. She wraps a blanked over his head, shielding him from the storm. He imagines he can hear her voice. Calling him lover like she always does. He smiles, feels some blood trickle out of his mouth. An angle. An angle made of killing and curses. If he is going to die, at least it is with an angle that fits him perfectly.

* * *

The foot that he must not bite comes at him. He leaps back and growls, baring his canines. "Mutt." the voice of the master chides. He shrinks back into his cage, not sure what he had done to make the master made this time, but still angry at the foot that he must not bite for trying to make him hurt. "Come out of there," the master yells, "fighting time!" Fighting time. Words that mean to kill. He stalks out of the cage with his head lowered. He sniffs the air. This place is new. He has not fought here. New place. New fights. New hurts.

A hurt comes when the foot that he must not bite lands on his flanks and forces him forward into the new fight bowl. He lowers his head and sniffs again. He can smell the other now. Burn. Rot. Dead things. That is the others smell. He does not like the ones that smell like this. They do not stop. They keep fighting, keep hurting him, even after all the hurt he gives them should have made them stop. He growls low in his throat, and the people watching mutter with words he does not understand. Some he understands, fighter, good teeth, strong legs. All of these praise him. He hopes the master hears and gives him a treat that he must not beg for later.

The cage door across from where he is in the fighting bowl opens and the other walks in. Death, decay, rot. The other does not look like it should. It looks like the hurt took it a long time ago. Others like that should not live. They should belong to the hurt. That way they would never be able to give him any hurt and he would only have to fight others like him for treats. The other does not sniff, he has no nose left, but it howls. It is not a good sound. Not the hunting noise it should be. The other comes for his throat, to give him some hurt.

He leaps away, avoiding the hurt for now, but he knows there will be hurt later. He circles, hoping the other will expose its flank, but it does not. The other whirls around and leaps at him straight on again. This time he is not quick enough and the other's teeth latch onto his leg. He howls as the hurt spreads in his leg. He brings his head down and rips at the other's stomach. The taste of the rotted flesh is not good. No good for eating. He rips into it anyway. He hopes that he gives the other a lot of hurt. The other does not release his leg. He latches his jaws around the other's rib cage and wrings his head. The other's clamp on his leg is ripped away, with a lot of hurt and his own leg, and he lashes about.

He beats the others body against the dirt, not letting up until the other goes stiff. He releases his hold for a second, but right away goes for the throat of the other. This is the best hurt. The best way to give the others to the hurt quickly and make the fighting stop. The other does not whimper. It just goes to the hurt. He likes to think that he helps the others like this one by giving them to the hurt. It has to be bad, being covered in rot. It has to hurt all the time. Going to the hurt all the way must be better than living with it forever.

The hand of the master that gives the treats grabs him by the scruff of his neck and pulls him back. He does not resist, he does not wand the foot that he must not bite to give him any more hurt. Hurt from the others is okay, that is fighting. Hurt from the master is very bad. When the master gives him hurt, he had done something wrong and he deserves it. The master shoves him back into his cage and he lies down. He licks his leg. Licking does not make the hurt go away, but it helps. For a long time the master is away. His stomach makes sounds that scare him and he wishes the master would return with the food that quiets the beast that lives inside of him. The outside gets dark as the big shiny goes to its cage and he curls up, believing that the master has forgotten him this night.

He starts to rest, but a light shines into his cage and he stands. The master is back, and there is another of the two legs with him. Master opens the cage door and calls him out. Something must be wrong. It is too late for the master to be feeding him. He slinks out with his tail between his legs and his head low, hoping that whatever he had done wrong is not bad enough for the master to give him any hurts. "Sit." the master commands. He does, but he does not lift his head.

"Well, he does not look all that fearsome now." A new voice says.

"He is," the master says in his firm voice, "you saw him in that fight. He is worth every cap. I assure you. You will not find a better dog. For guarding or for fighting. He is very well trained. Obeys orders well."

"Will he listen to me?"

"He should, just give him the treats I showed you. Give him those a few times and he thinks you are his new owner." This is true. He has had other masters before. Each of them so different. The first who was so gentle and loving. The second that was so demanding and strict. The third that was strange and never had him do anything. Then this master. The one he as been with the longest. The one who makes him earn his keep and fight. The one who does not shy away from giving a hurt whenever he does something wrong.

"Fine," the new voice agrees gruffly, "I will take him." There is a clinking of the small metals that the two legs like so much but are not good for eating and the master walks away. The two legs who owns the gruff voice bends down and lifts his head, making him look in his eyes. "You belong to me now, mutt." the new master says. He understands, but has no way of showing it. "You probably will have a lot of getting used to to do. Oh well, here," he says offering a treat, "have one of these." He takes the treat and chews it happily. The new master tells him to follow and he does. The new master takes him to a tent and orders him to sleep at the door, he does.

When morning comes, he watches as the master folds up the tent and loads it into a box which is then given to one of the two headed four legs that he is allowed to eat but only when dead or cooked. The master tells him to follow the two headed four legs and they all start walking. All day the walk. They leave the fights behind. He wonders, if this new master will have him fight in bowls like the the old master did. He hopes not. He did not like all the hurt from the bowls. The two headed four legs is unsure of him for a long time, but then gets used to him being around. He decides he likes the animal and that he will not eat it even if it is dead or cooked. What a strange new life he has. Every day filled with walking and the gruff voice of the master who has not yet given him any hurts. This life is better. He will keep it.

 **So here we are at the end of chapter 9, approaching chapter 10. I wasn't sure about using dogmeat's perspective and was even more unsure about how to write it. If you liked let me know, if you think I should keep it, let me know. Hope you guys like it, stick around to find out what becomes of Tyler, if he lived that is...**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys, just a quick note, Fallout 4 will rock, there, had to say it. Now then, on to chapter 10!**

Chapter 10

Luther sits at the bar alone, staring hatefully at the glass of vodka in front of him. They made it back to the Capital area without much trouble after the storm passed, but Tyler was in critical condition. His entire system was flooded with radiation. When they got back to Megaton the first place they went was to Doc Church's place to get him patched up. The Doc assured them that Tyler would pull through, but Luther still isn't sure. That was a lot of radiation. With Tyler out and Clover refusing to leave his side, he and Nick searched out Lucy West to finally cash in on that job with her family from what feels like months ago. She was overjoyed at the news that Ian was okay, they left out the bit about how her parents died, and paid them well.

Then he and Nick got into an argument. About Maria. Nick wanted to hand the girl over to someone, claiming that she was no longer their problem. That didn't make much sense to Luther, seeing as it was Nick who was so bull headed about taking the baby with them in the first place. He wanted to keep the girl. He had become rather attached to the little tyke during their trip. Fortunately, Lucy West came to their rescue. She offered to care for the child, which was good because they would be able to visit her whenever they were in town and she would be safer than she ever could be out in the wastes with them. After a few more minutes of working out the details, they decided that was best and left Marie with Lucy. They then split company, Nick going to get supplies for his trip into D.C. to find his dad, and Luther wandering about until he ended up at the Brass Lantern.

He sighs heavily and runs a hand through his hair. Nick, the kid. They way he has been acting ever since they found him in the pitt has been bothering him for a while now. Hell, even Tyler noticed! Nick had changed. Whatever happened to him in the pitt transformed him into a completely different person. Luther had barely even recognized him when he saw him fighting in the hole. Gone was the innocent, clumsy, and annoying ignorant kid from the vault. In his place is a man. A man who is dark, cold, and angry. A man with no reason or purpose, besides finding his father. The kid had wanted to find his dad before being taken to the pitt, now that is all Nick seems able to focus on. Luther does not fully like the man the kid has become.

"Are you just going to stare at that or are you going to drink it?" a gruff voice asks. He turns in his seat and looks at the man beside him. The man is clad in thick leather armor and has a worn, but sturdy, Chinese model assault rifle on his back. The man's hair is cut close to his head and he has a bad look in his eyes, almost like he is searching for a fight. The man notices Luther looking him over and turns to face him full on. "Something the matter asshole? Or do you not know how to answer a simple question?"

Luther glares at the man coldly, "I don't associate with degenerates like you."

"Degenerates?" The man scoffs, "Just how am I? a humble town guard, a degenerate when you are a mercenary? Mercenaries, like you, don't got nothing but their own morals to keep them in line. Here I am, a guard, with all the power of the law behind me. The only one who can tell me what to do is Simms, and he don't got the balls to try that."

Luther turns away from him. "You are a degenerate because you used to be a raider." The man is taken aback and goes to respond, but Luther continues. "I know because of the way you carry yourself. You have a look in your eye that says you are on a hard withdraw from whatever chem you are hooked on, indicating that you are trying to quiet but are failing. You also have tattoos from the gang you used to run with. I can see the edges of them around you neck and wrists."

The man looks impressed and nods. "Good, you can use your eyes to see the obvious. My turn. You think you are better than anyone else in this town. Well you ain't. You are a fucking pussy Mercenary whose morals and ideals can be bought. At least a raider you can always trust to try and kill you, but a mercenary, all your type cares about is who is going to give you the highest pay."

Luther stares down at his drink. His fists are clinched under the table. This asshole has no fucking clue just who he is dealing with. He has been through too much shit here recently to be baited into a fight with some random bastard, but he swears to whatever deity rules over the wastes, if this guy says one more thing, he is dead. "What," the man sneers, "nothing to say you fucking pussy?" That seals it.

He hasn't had a sip of alcohol in months, but he lifts his cup to his lips and downs it all in one gulp. He regards the empty glass for a second, and then smashes it into the man's ugly face. The man curses wildly and stumbles back from the bar, knocking over his seat and crashing into a table behind him. Luther stands and grabs the man by the front of his armor. He takes a piece of the broken glass in his hand and moves to cut the man with it. The man jerks to the side and manages to get out from under Luther. He jumps back to his feet and lands a hard kick to Luther's chest. Luther stumbles back, hitting the wall and ducking as the man aims another kick at his head.

Luther rushes forward and lands a solid jab to the man's side. The man retaliates by catching Luther's next blow and twisting his arm around. Luther grunts in pain as his arm is pulled into an un-natural position. He sweeps a leg out, sending them both crashing to the floor. He gets above the man and raises a fist, intending to punch in the bastards ugly face, but a series of gunshots freeze him into place. "Now that's enough!" Lucas Simms shouts. The sheriff steps further into the bar and levels his weapon at Luther's head. "Stand up mister, real slow like." Luther stands slowly, keeping his hands where they can be seen.

The other man stands and moves to stand by Lucas, but stops when the sheriff aims the gun at him when he does. "Hold on there Jericho," the man growls, "I saw you fighting too. I have allowed you a long leash, you had better have a damn good explanation for what happened."

Jericho rolls his shoulders and glares angrily at Luther. "This pussy smashed a drink into my face. All I was doing was trying to have a civil conversation. Next think I know the man is on top of me with a shiv in his hands, trying to cut my throat."

Simms shakes his head. "For some reason I doubt your conversation was anything near civil." The Sheriff regards Luther. "Well stranger, is this true? You try and slit my guard's throat?"

Luther meets Simms gaze with a cold stare of his own. "Yes." he answers simply. He has nothing to hide. No reason left for trying to defend himself. As far as he is concerned, these assholes can try anything they want. He is in the mood for a damn good fight.

Lucas shakes his head. "Right, cause I really believe that. Well if you are not going to defend yourself, I am going to have to take you in. Come along quietly now, there are a few nights of jail time ahead of you."

"Sheriff!" Jericho shouts angrily. "Are you serious? This asshole tried to kill me and all you are going to do is put him in a cell for a few days? We should kill this bastard, teach everyone here a lesson in respect!"

Lucas looks at him coolly, "No. I know very well that you instigated this fight, Jericho, and I am not going to kill a man for responding the way anyone else would have. Especially when responding to the shit you pull." Jericho grumbles angrily and storms out of the bar. Lucas motions for Luther go get walking with his gun. Luther allows himself to be led up to the sheriff's house where he is locked into a makeshift cell. Lucas sits down at his desk and takes off his hat. "I have to say, I would not have expected something like this from you. We haven't ever spoken, but you seemed like the decent sort."

Luther does not answer. Instead he lies down on the small cot in his cell and sighs. This was stupid. He hasn't gotten into a bar fight in almost a year, and never has he been in one when he was still sober. Sure, he had a shot of vodka, but that hardly even left him buzzed. Maybe this is what he needs, a little time alone with nothing except his own thoughts. Things have been going crazy ever since the pitt, the way Nick has been acting, Tyler's condition, Maria, all of it. He hasn't had any real time to just sit and think through things. That is probably what he was doing at the bar, looking for a place to just sit and think, but then that asshole showed up. He decides what he really needs is some sleep. Rolling over onto his side, he closes his eyes and soon drifts off.

His sleep is fitful, filled with dreams about places and people from his past. At first, it is nothing but random images and memories, all jumbled together. He can handle that. Then the images solidify into a memory of his old home. He steps through the mechanize door into the room he shares with her. Normally he finds her standing there with a warm smile and the little one in her arms, waiting to greet him. Today though, her back is turned and she is sobbing. He goes to her and attempts to comfort her, but she will not speak to him. She only stares at the bundle in her arms and weeps. A sick feeling fills him and he takes the bundle gently from her arms. Slowly, he pushes back the folds of the cloth and reveals what is beneath.

Dead. The little one is dead. Not just dead, murdered, butchered, experimented on like a lab rat. Tubes run from the child's body, filled with liquids and strange materials. The guards hold him back as the scientists cut into the little one with scalpels and saws. The little one is dead. His little one is dead. They killed her. Again he finds himself standing outside the mechanized doors that lead to his room. Again he steps through and sees her. She swings from the ceiling, their bed sheets tied around her neck. They killed her. They killed them. They took them both from him!

He moves to take her down, but her face changes and instead of her hanging there, it is Nick! He recoils and trips over a body! Tyler's body! The scientists are back, crossing the room to where little Maria lies unaware in her cryo crib! He tries to scream, to stop them, but he cannot even move! He is forced to watch as they take Maria out of her crib and take out their scalpels and saws!

He jerks awake in a cold sweat, gripping the cot like it is the last solid thing in the world. "Luther," a woman's voice whimpers. No, the dream is over, he cannot hear her voice! He cannot! "Luther," this time his name is shouted. He whips around, and for a second is relieved to see Lucy West standing there. The dream really is over. Then he notices her face. "Luther," she repeats, "he is gone. Nick hired a guard and went off to that store to earn some caps! He went to the Super Duper!"

* * *

He lunges through the air, clamping his jaws down around the neck of the two legs who smells of blood and urine and whose body is covered in metal spikes. His weight pulls the two legs down to the earth where he whips his head back and forth savagely, maintaining his hold on the neck as he does. When the two legs stop struggling, he releases the neck and moves on. The Master is nearby, holding his boom rod that is louder than the one his old Master used. His new Master's boom rod is scarier too, even to the spiky two legs who are fighting them. They hold back, not wanting to be close to the boom rod.

Standing close to his Master to protect him, he growls low in his throat. He wants to kill the other two legs, to prove that this two headed four legs is their territory and that none may take it. The Master, however, has not yet told him to attack, only to protect, so he waits. They move slowly, the Master having to talk the two headed four legs into moving each leg after the other. The big animal is scared by all the noise and has panicked twice. He tries to keep a decent distance from it, hoping that his prescience will ease it, without scaring it further. The spiky two legs follow them, whooping and yelling and making all sorts of noise, hoping to spook the two headed four legs again. They have been following for a long while now.

The Master is tired. He has not slept the entire time they spiky ones have been after them. It has been some time now, two turns of the big light in the sky. His Master needs to rest, but he cannot because the spiky ones will come in the night. He watches, in fear, as his Master missteps, and falls to his knees. He barks once and rushes to his Master's side. He gently noses the Master, hoping he is not dead. the Master responds by reaching up and rubbing his ears roughly. The Master struggles to his feet and looks down at him. "Don't worry boy, I am not gone yet..." Blood spurts from the Master's chest and he falls on his face. He looks down, confused. Then one of the spiky ones yelps and runs forward with a boom rod of his own.

He turns to the spiky ones and growls fiercely. They stop in their tracks and look at him with fear in their eyes. They killed the Master. They would kill the two headed four legs and him as well. They have done very wrong things. Now they will pay. He lets out a snarl that is his only warning, and then he attacks. He rips into them, a whirling blur of ripping fangs and grey fur. Each of the spiky ones fall beneath his attack. He rips out their throats, their tendons, their insides. When the last dies, he limps over to some rocks and hurls up the contents of his stomach. Their blood and flesh is foul. He limps over to the body of his dead Master and curls up next to him. He looks out at the vastness of the wastes, wondering, what will become of him now?

 **Hey guys, man do I ever love cliff hangers. So I got a little deeper with Luther's character than I expected to, but I like the results. Both he and Tyler still have a lot of history that will be revealed, but this little hint really works with me. I hope you guys enjoyed it. If you have any guesses about who Tyler or Luther may have been or worked for before meeting, let me know! Also, If there are any specific NCPs you want me to try and work in, Let me know and I will attempt to do so.**


	11. Chapter 11

Here **we are, past the milestone of Chapter 10. About 25% of the story arch I want has been successfully fleshed out. Just to give you all a heads up, I will be moving the game's main story line forward here. I do have a layout for how I want this to end, but a few changes have caused the ending to have to be revised a little. Anyways, welcome to 11, enjoy!**

Chapter 11

Ants, big, fucking, ants! Nick wastes one that comes close to him with the new sawed off shotgun he bought from Craterside Supply, but only after the bug spews flames out of its over sized pincers. He curses and frantically pats out the flames, thankful for the new armaments he purchased along with the gun. He bats the flames out and growls angrily. Of course, something has to go wrong! Finding supplies in the Super Duper Mart was easy, he and Jericho made short work of the raiders there. They were on their way back to Megaton, when they were cut off. By these damn big, fire breathing, devil spawned, ants! The ants drove them into some ruins, and from there, even more ants showed up! Now they are pinned down in a building that seems to be ready to crumble around them, not to mention it is now on fire and the ants are swarming out of the ground!

"This place is coming down," Jericho shouts furiously, "get us the hell out of here! I am not dying because of some big ass..." Nick tackles him out of the way as part of the ceiling above them crumbles and falls. Nick climbs to his feet, not bothering to brush himself off as another wave of ants come at them. He reaches up and pulls two grenades from the bandolier on his chest. He rips the pins out and rolls them towards the approaching ants. "What the hell are you doing?" Jericho shouts. Nick turns towards the former raider, then tackles him again. They crash through what is left of a window right as the grenades detonate. The two of them scramble to their feet and run as the building shutters and collapses in on itself in a fiery rain of debris.

They come to a stop, bent over double, and panting hard as they catch their breath. Nick straightens up and looks back. There is only one wall of the building left standing and the rest is a smoking pile of concrete and dirt. He rolls his neck and pulls Jericho to his feet. "Lets get moving before more of those things show up."

Jericho is stringing together a series of curses, but Nick ignores him. His attention has been caught by a sound coming for a nearby life preserver. He knew what the things were, he has learned about them in the vault. He walks over and opens the door. There is a small shot of fear and the boy inside lifts a rusty pistol. Nick slaps the gun out of the kids hands before he can fire and shouts, "Watch it punk!" The boy sinks to the floor of the preserver and whimpers. Nick sighs, "Damn it," he mutters. "Look," he says, "what are you doing in here? Haven't you seen the ants around here?"

The boy nods, "I've seen them. My dad called them Bid Damn Ants. You haven't seen him have you? He said he would be back, that I should just hide here. Will you find him?" The boy looks up at him with pleading expression.

Nick shakes his head, "No way squirt, I don't work for free and you don't look like you have anything. Listen, I can take you to Megaton, but I am not going to..."

"My dad had a gun," the kid interrupts, "he used it to kill the ants all the time. If you find him, you can have it, I am sure he will give it to you. Please!" The boy is begging now.

Nick sighs and rubs his brow, "Damn it." He looks over at Jericho, the man shakes his head and jerks his weapon in the direction of Megaton. Nick turns back to the boy, "All right, fine, I will find your fucking dad! Just, stay put!" He reaches over to close the preserver, but the kid surprises him by jumping out and hugging him around the middle. "Um," he starts, "okay kid," he pats the boy on the head, "um, that is enough, back in the preserver." The boy flashes him a hopeful smile, and then steps back into the pod as the door closes on him. Nick steps back and runs a hand through his now shaggy hair. "Shit."

"No kidding," Jericho growls, "I did not sign up to babysit some fucking snot nose! Lets leave and collect our pay from that psycho back in Megaton!" Nick ignores him and reloads his sawed off. The weapon is in good condition, and does fair damage up close, but it only hold two rounds at a time. Good thing he still carries his 10mm. "Hey," Jericho shouts, "I am talking to you!" The man clamps a hand on Nick's shoulder and spins him around. Nick responds by slamming a fist into the man's face! The man is ends up sprawled on the ground, and before he can stand, he fins Nick's boot on his throat.

"Listen you stinking swine," when he speaks his voice is flat and emotionless, "you have two options, keep to your contract and do as I say, or I can end you right now. It is your choice. Lucky you, most people don't get a choice." He stares down at Jericho, a blank, uncaring look in his eyes. Jericho's eyes widen as he realizes that Nick means it. Nick watches as Jericho realizes that, as far as he is concerned, his life is expendable. Jericho swallows and tries to nod as Nick lifts his boot away from his throat. "Check the shack over there," he orders as Jericho stands, "I will check the house next to it."

Nick watches as Jericho stands and shoots him a dirty look, but does what he says. Nick moves and tries the door to the house. Something behind it has blocked it and he has to force his way in. He looks, and sees that it is the body of an ant blocking the door. He walks further into the house. He knows what he is going to find, he can smell it long before he can see it. In the living room of the house is the body of a man who has to be the boy's dad. He is on the ground, cut open and burned. Around him are the bodies of two ants. Nick shakes his head. Great, what is he going to tell the fucking boy? He looks around and notices a Chinese model Assault rifle on a nearby shelf along with a few mags of ammo. He takes the gun, assuming it is the one the kid was talking about, and loads it. He takes the rest of the ammo mags and slides them into his bandolier.

He steps out of the house and looks at the preserver pod. He decides to delay breaking the news to the kid and instead enters the shack Jericho went into. He looks around and spots the man crouched down, searching the draws of a desk. "You find anything?" he asks as he enters.

Jericho shoots him an angry look, "No, only been in here for a few seconds. I take it from that gun in your hands that you found the little snots father right? Let me guess, dead." Nick ignores him and walks over to a desk with a computer terminal sitting on top of it. He activates it, and stares at the screen as it prompts him to enter a code. He thinks back to all the times he had to hack into a terminal in the vault for a person who had forgotten their code. He cracks his knuckles and reads over the screen. He enters one code, and it is wrong. He shrugs his shoulders and types in another. This one works perfectly and he gains full access. He reads through the script running along the screen.

"Looks like a scientist is to blame for these ants. Apparently he set up shop here and started experimenting with their DNA. He has moved himself into the metro tunnels under the town and has set up shop." He steps away from the terminal and looks over the room. "Why would anyone want to experiment on fucking giant ants?"

"It usually is the smart lab coats who cause the most trouble. They just can't leave things alone. Always have to go fucking with shit." Jericho says as he stands up and pockets the caps he found. "Lets tell the kid about his dad and get out of here." Nick nods and follows the man back outside. They approach the preserver and Jericho motions to it with a flourish, "I will let you do the honors asshole."

Nick ignores Jericho's snide tone and opens up the machine. The boy first looks up at him, then looks around for his father. When he realizes that his father isn't present, a desperate look fills his eyes as he looks back up at Nick. Nick shakes his head slowly. All hope leaks out of the boy's face and he slowly sinks to the ground where he wraps his arms around his legs and begins to whimper. Nick raises a hand to his face and rubs his eyes, "Shit." he mutters. "All right, cut it out punk!" The kid looks up at him with tears shinning in his eyes. "We can, I don't know, take you somewhere."

The kid sniffles and wipes his nose. He swallows and shakes his head. "No, you can go. You are nothing but another mean adult! I will take care of this on my own!" The boy pushes past Nick and grabs a long twisted metal rod from the ground. Nick stares at his back as the boy fumbles with the weight of his makeshift weapon. Sorry boy, he thinks to himself. He steps forward and slams a fist into the back of the boys head. The boy collapses, unconscious. Nick drags him back to the preserver and locks him in it.

"Now that is more like it," Jericho shouts, "show that little snot not to fucking talk to us like that!"

Nick whirls on him, "Can it!" Jericho steps back, surprised by the venom in Nick's words. "I intend to track down and kill this scientist for what he did to this town. That little snot, as you call him, deserves more of a chance at life than trying to survive in a town invaded by giant, fire breathing, ants! You and I are going down into the metro, we are going to clear the ants out, kill the bastard who made them, and then make sure the boy can make it on his own!"

"Fuck no," Jericho shouts back, "I signed out for the fucking store job! I put up with you searching for the punk's father, but I am not going to play hero to him! You go down into those tunnels if you want, but I am getting the hell out of here before you get me killed!" Jericho turns and starts to leave. Nick goes after him and clamps a hand down on his shoulder. Jericho turns, maybe expecting Nick to just shout at him, instead Nick lands a solid punch to Jericho's face, knocking him to the ground. Now there will be a second bruise right next to the other Nick has already given him. Jericho glares up at him from the ground, "Well, this is like deja vu, weren't we just here a few minutes ago?"

Nick growls and reaches down. He grabs the front of the man's armor and lifts him up off the ground to the point where he is almost being held in the air. Nick slams him into the side of a nearby dinner, cracking the glass window. "I am sick of your constant bad attitude! You are working for me! If I say jump, you ask how high! Now, we are going down into the tunnels, no more questions, no more refusals. You stay quiet, not one, fucking, word!" Nick releases him and turns on his heal, headed straight for where he saw a metro entrance earlier. His sawed off is still in his hand and his ears listen for the sound of Jericho drawing his gun. He is sure the man will attempt to kill him now, however, a few seconds later Jericho appears at his side with his mouth set in a grim line. Good, Nick thinks, even if he does not like the man, the extra body between him and the ants will be appreciated.

The enter the tunnels and Nick is hit with the sensation that he is back in the vault. He felt the same way however long ago it was when he, Luther, and Tyler went in search of the Family. He feels a the smallest twinge of guilt as he thinks of Luther. He will probably be furious with Nick for having hired on Jericho and gone to deal with those petty raiders without him. Oh well, He is the bastard who started a bar fight and got himself locked up.

It does not take them long to find the ants, or, perhaps it would be better to say the ants found them. Almost as soon as they entered the metro tunnels the bugs were on them. They fight furiously, as though frenzied. On the surface, the ants where dangerous, down here, they almost seem desperate in their attempts to stop the two humans from advancing any further, but advance they do. Each picking their own fights, they make quick work of the ants that come at them, keeping them at a distance so as the bugs cannot spew fire at them. They become so wrapped up in the fight, that Nick does not notice they are being flanked until it is too late!

A wall of fire descends upon him from behind and he throws himself to the ground, rolling frantically in an attempt to snuff out the flames on himself. He rolls onto his back and holds down the trigger of his new assault rifle. Hot lead tears into the massive ants attacking their position from the direction they had already passed through. Four of the six ants go down beneath his barrage, but the other two keep coming as his rifle runs of out ammo! He curses as he reaches for a spare magazine. Nick abandons his efforts to reload his rifle as the nearest ant reaches him and clamps its pincers down on his leg. He cries out in pain as the serrated jaws cut right through the leather padding on his leg and shred his flesh. He pulls out his sawed off and pulls both triggers, blowing open the ant's head and showing him in burning hot green blood.

The second ant reaches him and opens its jaws to engulf his head. He drops his useless sawed off and attempts to grab the jaws with his hands, but the bugs bite force is too powerful! The pincers close around his left wrist and almost sever his hand. He roars in pain and somehow manages to wrestle the bug to the ground! With his free hand, he pounds the bug's over sized eye! The bug emits a high pitched screech as it's eye splatters inward! Nick continues to pound the bug's head, not stopping until the thing stops struggling. both sets of pincers are still attached to him, on his wrist and his leg. He grunts in pain as he attempts to wrench himself from the dead bugs jaws. He manages to get his hand free and is disheartened to discover that he cannot feel or move it. He growls and moves on to his leg. One he is free, He struggles to his feet and grabs his discarded weapons. "Jericho," he shouts, "Jericho, where are you?"

He stumbles forward a few steps and collapses as he puts weight on his injured leg. "Fuck!" he shouts in pain. He casts his gaze around, but sees no sign of Jericho. "That bastard," he mutters, "If he has left me here, I will fucking kill him once I find his fucking ass!" A series of mechanical gears come too life and a door behind him slides open. Pulling out his 10mm, he readies for another fight!

* * *

Tyler shouts for his men to get down, but it is too late. The Super Mutant Master opens up wit its mini gun. His men are caught in the crossfire of the Master and the other Muties they had engaged. He attempts to run in, to help them, but Gear holds him back, "Sir, it is too late for them, we have to get out while we can!" His lieutenant's words reach him and he rips his gaze away from the corpses of his dead men. He and Gears run, bursting out of the ruin and fleeing. Before they get too far the ruin rumbles and then explodes, swallowed up by the mushroom cloud caused by the warhead they detonated at the buildings center.

He falls to his knees and watches the burning cloud expand. He ignores the warnings of his power armor's geiger counter. "Sir?" Lieutenant Gears asks cautiously. Tyler cannot answer. He can only stare at the radioactive fire burning where the ruins once were. So man men, so many of his men, dead. "Sir," Gears repeats, "sir we have to get moving. The radiation from that bomb will kill us if we stay."

"Why does that matter?" Tyler asks somberly.

"Sir?"

Tyler turns to face Gears. Even though he cannot see his lieutenant's face behind the helmet of his power armor, he knows that he is wearing a confused expression. "What does the death of two more soldiers matter in the face of so much death?" Tyler stands and starts to walk back the way they had come. The way he had come with his entire squad.

Tyler jerks out of the dream with a shout of pain. He doesn't recognize his surroundings and leaps to his feat, ready to fight if he has too. He looks around the small room frantically. There are two others, lying on cots, covered in bandages. A hospital? Where the hell is he? The last thing he can remember is the dust storm. He spots his things stacked neatly in a corner and quickly pulls on his armor. A door opens behind him and he spins, raising his shotgun. "Oh," coos Clover, "you are awake Lover, good, I was so bored with you sleeping so much."

"Clover," Tyler sighs with relief, "where the hell am I? What happened to Luther and the kid?"

Clover cross the room and sits down on the cot he had been lying on. "Oh, Lover, all sorts of fun stuff has happened. Your scary friend with the long coat and the hard eyes had a fight with the young man you two got out of that place, he seems like a dick, not sure why you saved him. Anyways, your friend got himself arrested and the young man went off to do some job or something. Now Lover, lets have some fun." She lays back on the cot suggestively.

Tyler looks at her shapely legs, and for a moment, considers it, but then shakes his head. "Maybe next time doll, I need to get my bearings and, get these weird memories out of my head. Need a fix, and a damn good one." He finishes buckling on his armor and leaves the room with Clover on his heels. He starts towards the Brass Lantern, intending to purchase some chems, but is distracted by a commotion near the town gate. He looks up the hill leading to the gate, and sees Luther loaded down with gear and holding a gun to the sheriff. "Shit," he mutters, "I guess we should help him."

He reaches over his shoulder and un-slings his shotgun. He hoofs it up the hill and levels the barrel of the gun at Lucas. "Damn," the old sheriff sighs, "not you are in on this too? This just keeps getting better and better."

"Tyler," Luther growls, "get the hell out of here, we are leaving, now." Tyler looks at his partner, intending to find out what is going on and why they are aiming their guns at the sheriff, but he sees Luther's expression and knows that asking will get him no answers. Instead he takes Clover's hand and all but drags her out the gates. Seconds Later Luther backs out, his rifle still aimed at Lucas. "Start towards the Super-Duper Mart. I got the supplies we need for the kid's trip into the capitol. We need to find him before he gets himself killed."

* * *

Pain, lots of pain. He can feel it. It is welcome. It is far better than when he felt nothing in the pitt. His leg is bleeding bad, his wrist is definitely broken. Not the mention all the burns all over him from the ants. Now he is dragging himself out of the ant hive. Behind him he can hear the clacking of the Queen Ant's mandibles as she searches for him. Damn that fucking scientist.

When the door opened earlier, he had been expecting ants, or ghouls, or something along those lines, not a scientist who railroaded over everything Nick tried to say. The man talked non-stop. Before Nick even know what was going on the scientists starting thanking him for agreeing to do some job that would allow him to stop the ants. Nick, angry about Jericho's disappearance and confused by the scientists over complicated summary of how the ants came to be, found himself fighting guardian ants who were protecting a massive Queen Ant that tied to kill him but that the scientists needed alive. Now he is crawling away, the Queen successfully distracted by a grenade tossed down a random tunnel, and is almost back to the scientists lab.

The mechanical doors open and the man comes flying out in a flurry of words and activity that confuses Nick. Somehow he ends up on an operating table with the scientists standing over him asking which mutigen he wants. Nick mutters something that the man takes as an answer, and then suddenly even more pain flares all through his body. He screams as whatever the scientists injected him with burns its way through his veins. He writhes on the operating table, his muscles clenching and contracting. His limbs jerk involuntarily, as though he is experiencing a seizure. The Scientist claps his hands together as he reads something on a nearby console, "Good," he says, "your body is adapting far faster than I would have thought, you should be done, now."

As soon as he says that, the pain vanishes! Nick sits bolt upright, his body tense, braced for more pain, but there is none. No pain, none at all. He lifts his hand and looks at his wrist. The swelling is gone and he can move it. He looks down at his leg, through the shredded material of his armor, he can see his skin, perfectly healed, as though nothing ever happened. He stands slowly, gently putting weight on the limb, and it holds him without any trouble. He looks over at the scientists in wonder. The man is nearly jumping from joy. "Marvelous," he shouts, "I knew it would work, I just knew it! Thank you so much my good man, now I can continue my work!" Without any further explanation, the man bustles past nick and down into the Ant Queen's hive.

Nick shakes his head, "What a nut case." he mutters. He shrugs his shoulders, "right then, I hope that worked and all those fucking ants are dead." A little unsure what to do, he stands there for a few minutes, waiting to see if the scientist is going to come back. When he does not, Nick decides he wants out of the fucking tunnels. He makes sure that his assault rifle and his sawed off are loaded and makes his way out. As he exits, he can't help but notice the number of dead ants lying all around. Some he and Jericho killed, but most of them appear to have just dropped dead. Whatever that scientists did, it sure worked. Out on the surface he quickly goes to the life preserver. When it opens, the boy glares at him angrily.

"Um," Nick says, not sure where to start, seeing as he knocked the boy out last time they spoke, "hey."

"What do you want now?" the boy sneers.

Nick sighs, this is all bullshit. "Listen, punk," he growls, a little more forcefully than he wanted, "I just made sure those ants won't screw with you or anyone ever again, the least you could do is be a little thankful."

The boy stars at him, "It doesn't matter about the ants. I can't stay here on my own. My father is dead, I am all alone."

Nick feels as though he has been shot through the chest. The boy's words, he had felt almost exactly the same way not to long ago when he first stepped out of the vault. He sighs, realizing that no matter how hard he would try, he would never be able to live with himself if he leaves this boy here on his own. "shit, okay look, is there someone who you can go to, family, something?"

The boy looks up at him, "Well," he sniffs, "I have an Aunt who Dad always said lived in one of the safest places in the wasteland. He said it was a big tub, or a big metal can, or something like that."

Nick sighs and rubs his temples, he has no fucking clue what this boy is talking about. "Look," he says irritably, "what direction was it?"

The boy thinks for a second, then points, "That way."

Nick turns and shades his eyes from the sun. Right away he spots the four figures approaching them. "Get back into that pod and do not come out until I say so, if anyone else but me says to come out, don't." He all but shoves the boy into the preserver and takes out his assault rifle. He lies down behind a road barrier and watches the approaching group. "Fuck me." he growls when he recognizes them. Its Luther, Tyler, and Clover. Dragged between Luther and Tyler is a disgruntled looking Jericho. Nick stands from cover and watches them approach.

Without thinking he draws his sawed off and marches towards them once they enter the town. Tyler lifts a hand in greeting, but Nick ignores it. He puts the barrel of his gun to Jericho's head, and pulls both triggers!

* * *

He limps his way along the riverside, holding up his front paw and pausing ever few feet to lick it gingerly. The fight with the molerat had not gone smoothly. While he did eventually bring it down and get a good meal, the animal had fought fiercely. He spots an overturned boat and crawls underneath it. His Masters death wasn't all that long ago, but already he misses him. At least with his Master there was the promise of a warm to curl up next to each night. He shivers and a feeble whimper escapes him. He is cold, and he knows that the wound on his leg will cause a lot of hurt, possibly even the final hurt, if it does not heal soon. He looks out from underneath the boat and whimpers again. He closes his eyes, maybe it would be easier to just go to the hurt. To stop fighting. He has never thought of that before, of not fighting. Right now, it sounds very comforting.

 **Okay, Bryan Wilks is not in the story, and he will play an important role. As will Dogmeat. The next chapter will be a little longer, hope you guys like this one. As always, feedback is welcome.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Okay guys, seriously this time, main story, GNR, metro tunnels, scary stuff. Enjoy! Also some more major hints about Luther and Tyler, wink wink.**

Chapter 12

"Jesus fucking Christ Nick!" Tyler hears Luther shout as Jericho's headless body falls to the ground between them. Tyler never like the look of the man, something about the way he referred to everyone as assholes, still. He looks up at Nick's face, trying to get a read on what is going on in the kid's head. Nick's face is set in stone, however, and Tyler has no idea what he may be feeling or thinking.

"Teach you to fucking leave my ass halfway through a job." Nick sneers at Jericho's body.

That makes a huge difference. At least he isn't killing just because Jericho was ugly. Getting revenge is a damn good motivator, as far as Tyler is concerned. Luther, however, seems to have different ideas. "What the hell Nick?" Luther shouts angrily. "You can't just kill people for no damn reason!"

Nick shoots Luther an angry look, "You don't know shit Luther! That bastard," he points at the corpse, "left me for dead in a fucking metro tunnel. He probably intended to collect all the reward money for himself! I don't care how you two got a hold of him, or if he claimed that he left to find help! The fact remains that he left me to fucking die!" Nick whirls around and walks back the way he had come at them from. None of them follow.

"Is it wrong that I am slightly turned on by that?" Clover coos from behind them.

Tyler gives her a look from over his shoulder, and then turns to Luther. "Hey," he starts, "just what is going through your head? It isn't like you and I have never done anything out of revenge."

Luther lowers his gaze to the ground and rubs his neck. "I know," he grumbles, "we have done some low shit, but this is different." He looks back up at Tyler, his gaze boring into him. "You cannot tell me that you haven't noticed it. They way he has been since we found him in the pitt. I don't know, I am just worried about him."

Tyler huffs, "It isn't our place to ever worry about others."

Luther looks at him with a steady gaze, "Then what were we doing when we went to save him?" His partners words strike a chord. He hadn't thought about that. Strange, maybe he hadn't realized until now just how fond he was of the kid. Of Nick. He looks up as he hears footsteps approaching. He can't help but tilt his head to the side in curiosity as Nick returns with a small boy tailing behind him.

"Luther, Tyler, Clover," Nick says curtly, "this is Bryan, his father was killed by the giant ants that until recently were inhabiting this area. I intend to get him a new home. Until then, he should probably stay in Megaton."

Tyler has to force himself not to chuckle as he hears Luther take in a sharp breath. "Look Nick," he says, "that may not be the best of Ideas." Nick gives him a look that says, explain. "We," he scratches his beard, "sorta got thrown out. Luther here held a gun to the sheriff and busted himself out of jail and I sorta helped. So no Megaton for a while. Else we may be shot on sight."

* * *

Nick is fuming. At the moment he is crawling through yet another metro tunnel, this one infested not with giant ants but feral ghouls, on his way to GNR. Apparently, Luther and Tyler up and decided to blow their own caps on buying the supplies needed for the trip. Stimpacks, bandages, ammo, and plenty of other provisions. He had been planning on leaving on his own, having grown tired of the patronizing tone Luther had suddenly started using whenever the two of them spoke. Not to mention that on top of having to look out for his own life, he is also having to constantly check up on the little punk Bryan who somehow has no experience at all despite having been raised in the fucking wasteland!

A loud hiss echos behind him and he whips around just as a feral falls from the shadows atop him. He curses and manages to get his sawed off under the creatures head. The pulls the trigger and instantly is covered in gore. He pushes the already rotted corpse off of himself and wipes the blood from his mouth. He stands and shouts, "We had better be getting close to that fucking exit!"

Nearby Tyler cracks the neck of a ghoul attacking him and growls, "We are damn it, just keep them off us while we get it open!" The group ascends a dead escalator to the next level. Nick takes position at the top of the stares with Clover. Bryan hides behind a nearby Nuka-Cola machine while Tyler and Luther run to the door leading to the surface and start trying to pick the lock keeping it shut. "Why the hell do the Brothers always have to lock the doors when the come through!" Tyler shouts in anger.

A pack of ghouls emerge from a tunnel and charge up the stairs. Nick hands Clover his 10mm, "Make every shot count!" he orders as he opens up with his assault rifle. The ferals at the front of the pack go down firs, their skeletal bodies protected by nothing more than rags. The ones behind them however have the remains of metal and combat armor hanging off of their frail frames. A ghoul clad in combat gear bounds the rest of the way up and leaps upon Nick, pinning him down and clawing for his neck. He grunts and tosses the ghoul over the side of the platform, sending it falling to is doom. He sits back up and again fires into the pack with his rifle, but there are too many! "Fall back!" he orders as the ghouls reach the top of the escalator.

He lies down cover fire as Clover breaks from cover and runs to where Luther and Tyler are desperately attempting to open the gates to the surface. Nick stands to fall back, but a ghoul latches on to his foot. He shouts in pain as the creature's teeth sink into his leg before emptying his remaining ammo into its head. Drawing his sawed off, he fires on round. The scatter shot tears into the pack of ghouls, killing a few and sending many to the ground with wounds that would stop a normal person, but the ghouls just crawl after him. "Get that fucking door open!"

Moving backwards he fires his second shot from the sawed off. Several more ferals go down, but there are still too many! He reaches for a spare magazine for his assault rifle! Out of his peripherals, he sees a ghoul launch itself through he air towards him. He mental girds himself for the impact, but it never comes! A black and white blur flies through the air and intercepts the creature! Nick stares as the large dog savagely tears the ghouls throat out before back towards him, its fangs bared at the rest of the ghouls. Nick has not time to wonder about the animal as the rest of the ghouls scream and charge. He slams the magazine into his rifle and opens up on the creatures, spraying hot lead through the air!

"Got it!" Luther shouts as he rips open the gates. "Everyone out, out!" Nick falls back, walking backwards for a few steps, still shooting at the ghouls. When his gun clicks he turns on his heel and sprints! The dog runs a few steps ahead of him, but it is limping and Nick quickly gains on it. Without knowing why, Nick leans down and scoops the animal up into his arms as he passes it! He can hear the pounding of the ghouls feet right behind him! Bullets wiz by his head as the others lay down cover fire from the exit! With a desperate surge he throws himself out the gates! Tyler slams them shut and rams a metal rod through the lock to secure it! The ghouls slam into the gates with enough force to cause the metal to expand outward! The group moves back, fearful that the gates will give and the ghouls will spill out upon them, but the gates do hold and the ghouls can only grope uselessly at them!

"Yeah," Clover shouts with a sadistic laugh, "that is right uglies! You are not getting any of this ass, hell no! Ha!"

"That," Luther gasps as he catches his breath, "that was way to close!"

Bryan Wilks stares at the mass of ghouls straining to get at them through the gates. Nick watches as the boy turns to the group with a huge, awestruck, smile on his face, "You guys are awesome!"

A whimper followed by a slight movement causes Nick to look down at the dog he is still holding in his arms. "Shh," he whispers, trying to sooth it, "its okay." He runs a hand through its fur and feels that it is matted down in places. Looking at his hand, he sees fresh blood. "Oh no." he mutters. Looking up he shouts, "Hey, he is hurt, we have to do something for him!"

The others all look at him in confusion, as if noticing the dog for the first time. Luther walks over and speaks first. "Where the hell did he come from?" Luther crouches down in front of Nick and runs his hand over the dog, Nick notices that his hand comes away covered in blood as well. "That is not good."

Readjusting his hold so that the dog sits more comfortably in his arms Nick looks up at Luther, "He saved my life back there. I've no idea where he came from or what he may have been doing in the tunnels, but I would not have made it without him." Luther nods and stands back up. Nick takes the hand he offers and gets back to his feet. Luther opens his mouth to say something else, but Tyler interrupts them.

"Hey assholes," he says in a hushed tone, "can it, we have company." Luther and Nick look up to see Tyler lying against the stairs leading the rest of the way up to the ground level. Nick looks over his shoulder and nods at Clover, then at Bryan. Clover nods her head and pushes the boy behind her as she slides the back hammer on the 10mm Nick gave her. Nick turns and ascends the stairs to where Luther has already joined Tyler.

Peaking over the edge, he spots what has them worried, and he can see why. A few feet away from them are two hulking individuals. The things look sort of like men, but much larger. They have yellowish skin that looks almost like tanned leather. They also have mismatched armor made out of all sort of of junk. One is toting an American assault rifle and the other has a long post with nails driven through one end. "What the hell are those?" Nick whispers.

"Supermutants." Tyler growls. Nick can't help but note the rasping hate in Tyler's voice. "The Brotherhood of Steel must be in a bad way right now for the Muties to have pushed this close to GNR. This complicates things."

Nick looks back at the things, the Supermutants. They things are big, but still. "There are only two of them." he voices his thoughts. "We can handle them."

Tyler scoffs, "You have never faced anything like these before. They are not like raider, stupid, slow. These things are bred for war, for killing. And there is no way there are only two. When you see one, others are always nearby. They must be all over this area." As if to confirm his thoughts, the sound of gunfire starts up in the distance. "Shit," Tyler curses, "they are already at GNR!"

"We have to do something!" Nick says as he starts to stand.

"Hold it," Luther says, reaching up and grabbing him, "stay down!"

Nick growls angrily, "GNR and Three dog are the best leads for finding my father! The trail is already cold, damn it, I am not letting these things kill my last chance!" Nick makes to stand again, and again Luther pulls him down.

"Just wait half a second will you?"

Nick turns on Luther, seething, and ready for a fight, but stops when he hears commotion behind him. Looking back at the Supermutants, his jaw drops at what he sees. Gunning down the Mutants are three people in full power armor! From what he had learned in the vault, these suits were serious business. Now watching whoever the people fighting the Mutants, he has good cause to believe it. The soldiers, they have to be soldiers, made quick work of the Mutants. Laser beams burned off limbs and even disintegrated one of the Mutants. "Its the Pride," Tyler mutters.

"Well then," Luther says as he stands up and approaches the soldiers, "why don't we see what they think of finding us here at the same time as them?" Nick has no idea what the two mercs are talking about, but he stands and follows them, motioning to Clover that all is clear.

As their group approaches, one of the soldiers steps towards them and removes their helmet, revealing a surprisingly young blonde woman. A blonde woman who is glaring daggers at Tyler. "Of course," she says with a heavy sigh, "it would be you, wouldn't it." Without waiting for a response the woman turns to the other soldiers. "Paladin Vargas," she barks with authority, "Take Reddin and scout ahead for Knight Captain Colvin and Initiate Jennings." One of the suits salutes her and then both turn and move through the ruins. The woman then turns back to them and lifts her laser rifle menacingly, "Now," she all but snarls, "tell me what you are doing here!"

Tyler chuckles, "That is how you greet me? After all these years? No threats, no fighting, not even a warning shot to my leg? Ha, good to see you too, sis."

Nick's head snaps around to stare at Tyler. He has a sister, he thinks, he has a fucking sister in the Brotherhood of Steel! Nick's reaction is nothing compared to the woman's however. She steps forward and slams the stock of her rifle into his stomach! Nick expects Tyler to retaliate, or at least push her away, but he does nothing and just takes it. "You fucking bastard," the woman shouts, loosing the last of her composure, "what the hell did you expect! You betrayed us, you betrayed me! You up and left when we needed you the most! Look at where we are now! Desperately fighting to hold on to what was once one of our most secure strongholds!" She finishes by pulling back and slapping Tyler across the face, hard.

Nick watches in stunned silence as Tyler rolls his neck and rubs his cheek. Luther steps between the siblings and pushes them apart, really the only one has to worry about is the woman, who is still trying to get at her brother. "Enough Sarah," Luther finally shouts as he grabs the woman by both shoulders of her armor and forces her to look at him, "I know that things are tense, I know that you and he have to talk, hell I even know that the only think keeping you from killing me is him, but right now we have bigger issues. We need to get to GNR, like you, and you will need help if the situation is as bad as you say it is."

The woman, Sarah, steps back and takes a deep breath to collect herself. She looks over at Nick, noting the dog he has in his hands, then taking in Clover and Bryan. "Who are they?" she asks.

"He is Nick," Luther says, indicating him, "he is the main reason we are here. He is searching for his father and Three Dog is our best lead. The boy is Bryan Wilks, his family was murdered in Greyditch, we need to get him to safety. Look I know it is asking a lot for you to trust us, but we can hold our own in a fight, you won't have to protect us, hell we may even make things easier for you!"

Sarah huffs, "Fine, you can accompany us. Get in the way, and I will gun you down!"

 **So, there it is, It has been hinted earlier that Tyler is formerly of the Brotherhood, but why did he leave, or did he just leave, and why what about Luther would make Sarah want to just kill him? Also, I am going to explain Dogmeat's appearance in the next chapter, so hang in there!**


	13. Chapter 13

**So from now on I will be mostly keeping each chapter to one specific person. The reason being that previously I wanted to show how each of my main characters reacted and where they were at specific times during the story. Now that they have reunited, at least for now, I can bring it back down to just one character for most of a chapter. There will still be some switching, but considerably less often. Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 13

Luther ducks out of the way as first a bullet passes his head from one direction followed instantly by a laser bolt from the opposite direction. He curses inwardly, not wanting to give away his position. He is unsure who wants to kill him more, the Supermutants, or Sarah Lyons. He looks at her position a few feet behind him as she continues to blast away at the Muties with her lasers. She notices and manages to shoot him an angry glance before disintegrating another nearby Mutie. Despite himself, he swallows hard. There are very few people left in the wasteland who cause him any worry, she is one of them.

Nearby a Mutie roars and makes to charge past his position. He waits until the last second before throwing out his foot and tripping the massive yellow beast. He dispatches it with two quick shots to the head from his rifle. Bullets pepper the wall around him from an opening in the floor above and he rolls out of the way, but not before one of the bullets tear through his arm. He grits his teeth against the pain and leans out. One bullet is fired, flying right through the left eye of the Mutie and causing it to drop through he hole it had been shooting at him through. Slinging his rifle across his back, he rolls out into the open and scoops up the Mutie's assault rifle. Turning on his heel he assaults the defensive position the Mutants had taken up ahead.

His attack only kill one Mutant, but the others quickly take cover. Without having to be told the Lyons Pride presses the attack, leaping into the fray and making quick work of the remaining Supermutants. Luther starts to move forward, but a Mutant leaps down upon him from the same hole as the one he previously killed was attacking from. The heavily muscled beast easily pins him to the ground with its bulk and lifts a huge chuck of cement above its head, intending to squash Luther with it. He struggles to get loose, but the Mutie has his arms pinned. The thing laughs triumphantly and raises the cement even higher. The things brains explode out the side of its head and its body falls to the side. Luther scrambles to his feet as Tyler moves up beside him. "You should stick with the group! Otherwise who is going to save your life?"

Luther grunts, and then promptly shoves Tyler out of the way and kills the Mutie that had charged him from behind with a nail board. "Now we are even." The two of them move up through the ruins. It is easy enough to find the others, all they have to do is follow the trail of Mutie copses. "Damn," Luther mutters, "the Pride sure as hell knows how to deal with these bastards." When their group joined up withe the Pride after their confrontation with Sarah, they picked up one other Paladin Named Colvin, who acted like some sort of priest, and then quickly moved into the ruins to confront the Muties. Even without their help, Luther knows that he Pride would have done fine on their own.

"Yep," Tyler agrees while lifting his shotgun to kill a charging Mutie, "I trained them well." Luther watches as he pulls the trigger and blows a hole into the Mutant's chest. Stepping over the corpse he reloads his rifle. They are coming up on the others. He can already hear Clover's sadistic laughing. Picking up the pace, they soon join the fray. Luther quickly slams the stock of his rifle into the nearest Supermutant, but the attack barely even phases the large creature. It slams him with a powerful punch that forces him against a wall. He lifts his rifle and fires once, wounding the Mutant's arm. He fire a second time and the left side of the things head vanishes in a spray of blood, skull, and brains.

He lifts his rifle, ready for more, but a Supermutant, slightly larger than the other, appears toting a minigun. The thing roars gleefully and opens up with the weapon, spraying hot lead in every direction. The bullets deflect off of the knights power armor, but the rest of them are not so lucky. Luther stares in horror as the Mutant turns its gun to Nick. "Nick!" Luther screams as the kid goes down under a barrage of bullets, turning himself so as to protect the dog he is still carrying in his arms! "No!" he roars as he charges the Mutant without thinking! The beast sees him and turns the gun in his direction! Bullets fly through the air, and he is sure he is hit by most of them, but he pushes through it! He tackles the Mutant, knocking it backwards through the weakened wall behind it! He doesn't know how fall they fall, or how many floors they crash through, but as soon as they land he starts bashing in the Mutant's head with his rifle!

More bullets tear into him, and he looks up to realize he is in the GNR building plaza. There are several mutants assault the building itself, but two have broken off to deal with him. He roars like some craze animal and grabs the minigun from the dead Mutants hands. He nearly breaks the mechanism as he pulls down the trigger with enough force to snap bones! The Mutants in the plaza have no chance! Seconds later he is joined on all sides by the Pride and his own group! Letting loose a wall of bullets, curses, and laser! Luther does not stop shooting, not until the gun sputters and comes to a stop. The barrels smoking and red hot from all the friction. He tosses aside the weapon and whirls on the others. His eyes search the group until he spots Nick being supported by Clover and Tyler. He shoves aside a Knight standing in his way and grabs Nick's shirt. "How bad?" he demands.

"Luther," Nick grumbles, "lay off."

Luther growls deep in his throat and brings his face close, "How bad?" The dog in Nick's arms growls weakly, but Luther ignores it. Nick shakes free of Tyler and Clover and glares at Luther for a second before starting to walk towards the GNR building. The kid makes it all of five steps, before collapsing to his knees. Luther is immediately at his side, helping him to his feet. "Come on," he says as he lifts the kid up, seeing that he is still somehow clinging to the dog, "we have to get you inside." They never make it that far.

Just as they pass a dry fountain in the Plazas center, a Supermutant Behemoth crashes through the ruins! Luther lifts Nick over into the side of the fountain, trying to keep him as safe as possible, before turning to face the massive monster not attacking. All around the members of the Pride are scattered and desperately attempting to bring the thing down. The Behemoth lifts its arm, swatting at the lasers and bullets that do hardly any damage to it. Luther shouts and jumps to the side as the monster slams a water pump it must have torn out of the ground down right where he had been standing. Scrambling to his feet he only just manages to leap behind a wall of sandbags as the beast swings again, narrowly avoiding being decapitated.

He sits up and fires twice. His shots, like all the others, only seem to make the beast even madder. It throws up its arms and roars with a volume that is almost deafening! Luther ducks, covering his ears. Somehow he manages to hear someone shout, "Reddin, no!" He looks up in time to see a Knight charge at the Behemoth's legs. The beast sees the Knight as well and reaching down, grabs the power armored Knight in one massive hand! Everyone watches in a dazed horror as the beast considers the struggling Knight in its hand, before letting out another roar and squeezing! The Knight shrieks in pain, before going silent! The Behemoth tosses aside the crushed body of the Knight, which lands feet away from Luther. He stares at the crumbled, blood soaked, armor, not believing what his eyes are seeing. Sarah Lyon's voice breaks through his haze. "No," she screams, drawing out the word as she too charges the beast.

Luther jumps up and grabs the back of her armor, pulling her to the ground. She moves to slam a fist into his face, but he avoids it and shakes her, "Sarah, the Pride needs you alive!" She does not hear him and shoves him off of her. She stands and again goes for the Behemoth.

"Everyone down!" Luther looks to see Nick sitting up with a launcher on his shoulder. His eyes go wide as he recognizes the weapon. He leaps to his feet and charges after Sarah. Without heavy power armor, he soon catches her and attempt to drag her back. She fights him, trying to get at the Behemoth in a blood haze. Tyler appears at his side and he too helps pull her back. Seconds later the mini nuke explodes against the Behemoths side. Everyone in the Plaza is forced to the ground from the impact of the explosive. The radioactive mushroom cloud expands upward into the air, and the corpse of the Behemoth falls to the ground, most of its left side burned away into bloody chunks. An eerie silence falls over the plaza, no one daring to move. Sarah breaks free of his and Tyler's hold and runs to Reddin's mangled corpse. Soon the silence is filled with the Paladin's soft sobs.

Luther and Tyler stand. They look at each other and nod, each understanding what the other is going to do. Luther turns and moves towards where Nick has collapsed into the fountain. He grunts, the pain from all the bullets he took starting to grow, as he lifts both Nick and the dog into his arms and crosses the plaza to the GNR building. The others, Clover and Bryan, follow behind him. He passes Tyler, who is speaking softly to Sarah along with another Paladin. He gives them a second's glance, but keeps moving. He ascends the stairs to GNR's entrance and a Knight intercepts him with a raised rifle. Without speaking Luther glares at him. Even though he cannot see the Knight's face, he knows that the man swallows in fear before stepping out of the way. Once inside a surgeon appears and takes both Nick and the dog from him.

All around there are injured Brothers and Sisters. All of them are staring at the ragged group before them. Luther has to admit, they must seem a strange bunch. A man in a ragged coat, a woman in a bloodstained evening dress, and a small child. Luther rolls his neck, fighting to remain standing, and makes to follow after the surgeon who took Nick. A Paladin suddenly is standing in his way. This man isn't wearing the power armor's helmet, and Luther recognizes him. "Vargas." he says darkly. The Paladin sneers and grabs him roughly by the arm, purposely digging his hand into a bullet wound. Luther takes in a sharp breath and Clover steps forward, reaching for her knife. Luther holds out is other hand to stop her, giving her a look that says, let me handle this. Clover nods and moves past them, shooing Bryan in front of her.

Paladin Vargas unceremoniously drags him towards a set of stairs. "Your type does not belong here." the Paladin sneers. "You are lucky I don't shoot you now, save us the trouble of you having the chance to kill us all while we are sleeping." Luther does not respond, he just allows himself to be dragged. Normally he would say something back, but he is far too outnumbered to risk being snide. "What is this? Cat got your tongue, Major?" The mention of his old rank causes Luther to bristle. Vargas notices and smiles, "Of course, if it were up to me, I would have tossed you out with the garbage as well, Major."

Luther gives not other warning before jerking out of Vargas's grip and drawing his knife. In the same motion he pushes the Paladin against the wall and presses the sharp blade against his throat. "Listen," he growls as Vargas holds up a hand to stop a nearby Knight who had lifted his rifle, "we just saved the lives of all of your people here. That calls for a little more respect than what you are providing. Now tell me where you were taking me and I will go myself!"

Vargas sneers again. Luther presses the blade against his throat a little harder, drawing a small amount of blood. "Three Dog," the Paladin finally spits, "he wants to speak with you. In private." Luther steps back, sheathing his knife and proceeding towards Three Dog's quarters. "One day," Vargas calls after him, "I am going to kill you!"

Luther opens the door leading up to Three Dog's studio and looks back at him, "One day," he says with a blank expression, "I hope you try." He steps through and gently closes the door behind him. He walks up the short set of stairs to Three Dog's radio studio and he can already hear the man speaking over the broadcast.

"...and remember kitties, the wasteland is a hard place, the brothers and sisters of the Brotherhood of Steel continue to fight, the good fight folks. So the next time you see one of the heroes in power armor, give em some thanks, or even better, some ammo!" With that the DJ flips a switch and a classical pre-war song starts to play. It is one of Luther's personal favorites, 'I don't want to set the world on fire' by some group from before the war. He wraps his knuckles against the door frame leading into Three Dog's studio and the man swivels in his seat. The DJ smiles big and stands in greeting when he sees Luther. "Hey psycho, hows it going?"

Luther shrugs his shoulder and ignores the hand Three Dog offers. "Your, heroes, are threatening to kill me. So nothing out of the ordinary."

Three Dog chuckles and leads the way into his quarters where he pouts two drinks of scotch. "Heh, let me guess, Vargas right?" Luther nods. "Should'a known, that man has quite the temper. Not that he doesn't have a reason not to distrust you, he does, seeing where you came from and all." He offers Luther a glass and Luther takes it, out of courtesy, but does not drink. "By the way, where is that junkie friend of yours, still cursing the Brothers for throwing him out?"

Luther rolls his eyes and sets the drink down on the counter. "You know very well that he is here. Nothing goes on in the Capital without you hearing of it. Which is part of the reason I am here." Three Dog nods and throws back his drink in one swallow. He sits down on a nearby couch and motions for Luther to continue. "There is a young child here with us, from Greyditch, his family was apparently killed off by giant fire breathing ants. We have promised to take him to his family, but all he knows is that they life in a place his father called a big tub, any ideas where he is talking about?"

Three Dog nods, "I would guess Rivet City. I am pretty sure that people used to call boats tubs from time to time. So Greyditch was attacked by mutant ants? I had heard that the settlement had gone quiet. I also heard that a group of three mercs deactivated the bomb in Megaton, and that the same three wiped out a group of raiders near the city before vanishing for a few weeks, that wasn't you was it?"

Luther crosses his arms and shrugs, "Megaton is a trading hub, lots of mercs go through there. Could've been anybody. What is it to you?"

"Cause I have it on good word that one of those three mercs was from the nearby vault 101. If so, then I really need to speak with him, about his father."

* * *

He lies curled up on the bed at his new Master's feet. He growls at everyone who comes near, making it clear that if they hurt him, they will hurt. Despite the cast wrapped around his front leg and all the bandages on his body, most of the people around give him and his new Master plenty of room. The only two legs that he does not send away with a snarl and a showing of his teeth is the strange woman who smells of blood and the small child who smells of burned things. Those two are seated in chairs near his new Masters head, watching over the Master, just like he is.

He was so lucky to have found his new Master when he did. The big yellow two legs had found and chased him through some broken buildings for a long time, shouting that they were going to eat him. He hid in the tunnels, until his Master and the people with him arrived. He is unsure why he chose this specific two legs as his Master, especially when the other two adult two legs seem to be in charge, but he did choose this one, and he is glade that he did. When they were running from the two legs that should have given in to the hurt but have not, he was ready to die, but his new Master scooped him up and carried him! Never had a Master ever shown such care for him, and the Master had barely known him for a minute!

Then there was the fight afterwards, when the new Masters pack sided with the pack of metal two legs to fight the big yellow two legs. During that entire ordeal, never had his master abandoned him! The Master carried him the whole way there, before one of the adult two legs pushed him and his Master into the big empty bowl when the giant yellow two legs appeared. It was then that he saw the big gun near his Master and pushed it towards him, allowing his Master to kill the giant! He had been so proud, even being carried by the same adult two legs as before didn't shame him!

Then the people in the white coats had appeared and started fixing his hurts! Then they did something to the Master and he though they were causing the hurt. He tried to stop them, but the Master reached out and rubbed his head, saying that it was okay, that they were helping. He calmed down, for his Master's sake, but refused to leave his side and growled softly whenever the white coats came near.

So now he sits here, still guarding his new Master, watching all the other two legs move around. He notes the other two legs from their pack, the male who is like an angry alpha but is not the alpha. This two legs is with a metal two legs who has the face of female two legs. The two look remarkably similar in their faces, save the difference in gender and age, with the male being older. He watches as the male not alpha from their pack hugs the female, talking to her with soft words. The female does not seem to like what he says and shoves him away, storming off with water leaking from here eyes. The not alpha shakes his head and comes over to the rest of the pack. He watches as the not alpha looks at the Master and then at him, reaching out slowly, but stopping and looking him in the eyes for permission. He hesitates, not sure what the not alpha wants, but he does not growl. The not alpha take that for permission and rubs his ears gently. He finds that he likes the sensation. "I can't help but shake the feeling that despite everything Luther and I have done, you are the one the kid here really needs. Look after him."

He knows that the not alpha is worried about the master. Though he cannot speak, he barks once, a low sound, not loud and menacing. Without words to speak, that is the best way of commnuicating what he feels and thinks. The not alpha gives him a grateful look, "Good boy."

 **And there it is, not much to say here, onward to Chapter 14!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Okay, I am going to be honest with you all, Three Dog has proved to be way to hard to write, so I cut that part out, but do not worry, I will be including some parts of the book that I have left out or removed for pacing in a collection of one-shots that I will put out after finishing up a few other projects, If there is any interest. These will also include some back story for each of the characters, mostly Nick Luther and Tyler, but a few others as well. Anyways, here is Chapter 14, hope you all enjoy!**

Chapter 14

The group emerges from the metro entrance and Nick looks around warily. Before them stretches the war torn mall. Towards the Capital Building he can make out the hulking forms of Supermutants patrolling along their trench lines. Clustered around the Washington Monument are a few soldiers from the Brotherhood, but their are only a few of them. No matter how good their gear may be, Nick can't help but feel that they would be overrun by a full attack from the Mutants. He shakes his head, overwhelmed by the distance they will have to cross, in the open, to get to their destination. "Once more," he says turning to Luther, "Three Dog wants us to find a dish from some old space tech and attach it to the top of the Washington Monument to boost his station's signal strength?" Luther looks at him somberly and nods. "So we have to get all the way to this museum, loot it, haul this dish all they way to the monument, and then trek all the way back to GNR?" Again Luther nods. "Well if this isn't a huge plate of brahmin shit."

Beside him Tyler chuckles, "Lucky we left the that boy and Clover back at GNR, or she would tell you to watch your language around him. Never thought of her as the motherly type, but she has all but adopted him." His laughter becomes a hacking cough.

Nick rolls his eyes and starts towards the Museum, "That little squirt couldn't care less about bad language. From the way he talks his father swore all the time. Now are we going to stand around or are we going to get this over with?" Without any further discussion the group moves across the no mans land towards the Museum of Technology. They manage to make it inside without being noticed, but once inside Nick swears silently and motions for the others to duck. Standing at the top of a set of stairs is a large Super, holding an assault rifle. Below is a second carrying a twisted metal rod. Luther moves up beside him and motions that he will deal with the Super holding the assault rifle. Nick nods and stealthily moves closer to the other, Dobmeat padding along silently behind him.

Crouching behind the remains of some form of airplane, Nick waits for Luther to take the first shot. The crack of the rifle splits the otherwise silent air of the museum. Nick jumps out, landing on his side, and pulls the trigger. The Super doesn't even have time to turn before its back is riddled with holes from Nick's assault rifle. A bullet narrowly misses his head, causing him to curse and scramble back into cover! A third Super has appeared, this one with a rifle similar to Luther's! The Super lets out a bellow and all but leaps down the stairs from the second level. The second its feet touch the ground, Tyler is there with his shotgun. The Super's brains splatter out the back of its head seconds later. Nick stands and looks around the lobby they are in for the tech they need to find. "It isn't in here." he says, reaching down and idly scratching the dog's ears.

Luther emerges from where he had taken cover. "Right then, we should try the next level up." He points at a collapsed section of the wall, "If I had to guess, the thing we need is on the other side of that wall. Maybe there is another way in." Nick nods and the three of them ascend to the next level up. Moving as silently as possible to avoid detection, they soon come across an exhibit that makes Nick's skin crawl. Before them is a life sized replica of a vault door. Inside he can see the metal hallways, leading into dark corridors. "Hell no." he says simply.

Tyler looks at him and smirks, "What, afraid to visit home?"

Nick glares at him, then strides into the exhibit. Three steps in and an automated voice starts talking through hidden speakers, startling the whole group and causing them to grip their weapons, nervous that Supers may hear them. Nick soon breaks out in a cold sweat. This is all too eerily similar to 101. The slant of the walls, the sound of their boots on the floor, the design of all the rooms the automated guide lights up and explains as they walk by. Luther growls, "All of this is bull. This thing makes the vaults out as being there to save people. The vaults didn't save anyone!"

When they reach the exit Nick all but throws himself out. He is breathing hard and his heart is racing. He hadn't realized just how much of an effect the memories of the vault would have on him. Even now images of the people from his home are racing through his mind, forcing him to revisit all his past nightmares. Butch bulling him, Amata trying to comfort him, his father... His fucking father leaving him at the mercy at the fucking crazy Overseer! He rolls his neck and moves forward, suddenly not caring if they get into a fight. Dogmeat rubs against his leg and looks up at him with worried eyes, "Don't worry boy," he says, "I am good."

They reach a set of double doors, beyond which they can hear the Supermutants milling around. Nick turns to Tyler and Luther with a snarl on his lips, "No more playing it quiet." Tyler coughs once, then kicks down the door! Nick charges through the opening, Dogmeat hot on his heels. He lifts his assault rifle and guns down the nearest Super. A floor below is the tech they need, and on all the other floors are the Supers! Dropping beneath the railing, Nick takes cover as the Super's open up on his position. "Dogmeat," he grows, pointing at a Super below them, "kill!" Without hesitation the dog complies, launching itself over the railing and latching his jaws around the Super. Taking advantage of the distraction, Nick stands and guns down two more Supers!

A body falls from the floor above him and Nick looks up in time to see Tyler standing there. In one hand is a bloody knife, and in the other is the severed arm of a Super. "Come on you fuckers," Tyler shouts, "come and get some!" Nearby Nick spots Luther grappling with a Mutant. Another Appears through a set of doors behind Luther and goes at him. Nick pulls the trigger and kills the Super just as Luther finishes off the one he was fighting. Vaulting over the railing, Nick drops to the bottom floor and sweeps his rifle around, looking for more Supers to kill, but there are none. Moving to the lunar lander he reaches up and tears off the satellite disk. "Got it!" he shouts up at the others, "lets get the fuck out of here!"

He turns to run back up the stairs, but is met by both Luther and Tyler rushing down towards them, with a group of six Supers on their tail. "No time to explain," Tyler shouts frantically as he pushes Nick through a nearby set of doors, "just run!" They dash into the room. It is some for of auditorium. The fact that it reminds him slightly of some poster flashes through his mind before he dives into cover beneath a bench, grabbing Dogmeat and clamping a hand over the dog's muzzle to keep him from growling. Seconds later the Supers crash into the room. They snarl and shout at each other in their throaty voices. The Supers lumber to the center of the room, forming a circle in the center around some weird machinery. One of the Supers bumps the machine, and suddenly the room is plunged into darkness as a map of the stars appears on the ceiling and a voice begins commenting.

Apparently, they all have the same idea at once, because all three of them sit up and open fire on the Supers! Within seconds all six of the mutants are dead in a heap, riddled with bullet holes. The machine sputters, the stars vanish, but the lights remain off. Nick stands slowly and calls out, "Luther? Tyler? Where are you?"

Off to his left there is a crash followed by a string of angry curses. The lights flick on and Nick sees Luther standing near a set of doors opposite the ones they entered through and Tyler splayed across a row of benches. Luther laughs, "Well, just couldn't wait long enough for me to turn the lights back on could you? Just had to go and throw yourself at the benches! What, did you think they were dangerous!" Despite the adrenaline still pumping through his system, and the possibility of there being more Supers nearby, Nick has to fight to keep from laughing. Finally, unable to contain himself any further, the laugther bursts out of him as an uncontrollable howl that sends him to his knees!

Tyler grumbles and attempts to get to his feet, but his footing goes out from under him, sending him crashing onto his back. This results in breaking Luther's resolve, as the merc's laughter joins Nicks, which has been amplified. Nick, now rolling on the floor with his sides heaving, somehow manages to get to his feet. He whips his eyes, gasping for breath as he walks over to Tyler and helps him to his feet. "Come on old man," he says happily, "lets get the hell out of this place."

Tyler looks up at him and the anger on his face dissipates, replaced by one of his genuine smiles. He reaches a hand up to Nick, but then doubles over in a hacking fit of coughs. The elation Nick felt vanishes. "Tyler?" he asks uncertainly. Tyler cannot respond, he is sucking in gulps of air in between fits of hard coughing. Nick shouts and grabs Tyler just before the man collapses to the ground. He turns the merc's face up, and sees blood leaking from the side of his mouth! "Luther!" he shouts frantically! Tyler is seized by another fit of coughs, spitting blood over the front of Nick's armor!

Luther appears beside him and grabs Tyler's other arm, hoisting the man between them. "We have to get him out of here!" he growls through clenched teeth. "I know a place across the mall. There are some people there who can help us, but we should move fast!"

* * *

People, Luther had said. People look alive. People don't look like the horde of ghouls that attacked them in the metro tunnels. People have skin. Sure, Nick had met ghouls that weren't feral like them, like Gob in Megaton, and some of the scabs in the pitt, but a whole fucking city of zombies! That does not classify as people in his mind! He and Luther had dragged Tyler across the mall, avoiding the patrolling Supers in the no mans land, to another museum. Nick had thought nothing of the ghoul standing guard outside, or the ghoul who greeted them at the door to where they are now. He had, however, taken notice when they walked in and saw nothing but ghouls, everywhere!

That, on top of the fact there were only ghouls here, no humans, or smoothskins as the ghouls insist on calling them. Luther instructed Nick to wait for him at a bar on the second floor of this little, clubhouse, for the ghouls, and then disappeared into a clinic called the Chop Shop, which did nothing to abate his worries. So there he stood, no idea where to go, and more than a little nervous about being attacked. Needless to say, when a hand clamped down on his shoulder, he took it badly. He grabs the ghouls arm and twists, bringing the ghoul in front of him and drawing his pistol. He pushes the barrel against the ghouls head, but manages to restrain himself when the ghouls words finally break through the haze of his fight or flight instincts. "... hey, hey damn it! I don't want any trouble! You just looked lost for fucks sake! Just calm down!" Nick looks around and realizes that there are at least six different sets of guns pointed at him, including the plasma caster of a sinister looking Mr. Gutsy robot floating nearby.

He swallows past the lump in his through and shakily moves the gun away from the ghouls head. The ghoul stands and waves his arms at the others. "Leave it be folks" he shouts in the croaking voice all ghouls seem to have. "The smoothskin and I were just getting to know each other is all." The other ghouls slowly lower their weapons, but Nick knows they will be keeping an eyes on him from now on. The ghoul turns to him and smiles, an expression that Nick is sure is supposed to be friendly, but still sends a chill down his back. "Hi there, sorry about that, folks around here are jumpy around smoothskins. They should know better, you arrived with Luther and Tyler, means you are okay. Name is Quinn by the way, what is yours?"

"Nick," he replies, his curiosity suddenly spiked, "you know Luther and Tyler?"

The ghoul nods, indicating for Nick to follow him as he heads towards a set of stairs. "Sure, ran a couple of jobs with those guys back before I settled down into the life of a trader. Those were the days, let me tell you. The shit we got ourselves into, unbelievable sometimes." The ghouls opens a door to a place called simply Carol's, and users him inside to a table. "I remember this one time, we took a job from this crackpot Abraham something or another. He wanted us to steal the Deceleration of Independence, ha! Turned out we weren't the only ones he sent either, met this sweet chic, Sydney, she helped us, and eventually set up a munitions trade with Tulip, Underworld's main supplier. How did you come to be stuck traveling with those two saint like scumbags?"

The question is simple, but it floors Nick. Without any warning, everything comes rushing at him. The first steps on the surface, stumbling into Megaton, the attack by the raiders, Luther and Tyler saving him, how he killed Silver like he was some form of psycho, Arefu, the Family, the slavers, the torture, the hole, the trogs, Luther and Tyler showing up to save him, them saving him and Maria, them sticking with him even though he attempted to abandon them both, them getting him all they way here, helping him even though he has no way of paying them for what they are doing, and recently, he has been a dick. He deflates, sinking down into his chair and burying his head in his hands.

Luther and Tyler have done more for him in the short months that he has known them, than anyone but his father had in during his entire childhood in the vault. Beside him Dogmeat whimpers. He looks down at the shaggy dog and shakes his head, reaching down to rub his ears. He looks back at Quinn and answers truthfully. "They saved my life. I would have never made it without them.

 **So, for those who did not pick up on it, I had Nick go way bad Karma for a little while. I have steadily been working him back up to neutral. As to if he will ever surpass that and reach good karma, remains to be seen. Keep in mind that Luther and Tyler, while essentially good people, maintain neutral Karma, something that I have sorta let fall recently. Hope you all enjoyed this, post a comment, review, let me know how you feel. Thanks for reading, cant wait to see you all again in Chapter 15, it is going to be a good one, trust me. Also, shout out to Lee who asked for me to add Quinn and make him badass, hope you liked what I did and don't worry, Quinn will be returning!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Welcome to Chapter 15. A lot will be covered in this one, so sit tight and enjoy!**

Chapter 15

Tyler stands there while Elder Lyons paces back and forth in front of him. Beside him Gears stands at attention, both of them have been stripped of their power armor. All around are the others of the Brotherhood, standing in silence and watching as Lyons chews them out. Tyler is already pissed, but Lyons choosing to do this here, right out in the courtyard for everyone to see? That really riles him up. The old bastard probably intends for it to be a lesson, to humiliate him. "You endangered your entire squad! Too many good men have been lost under your watch, Commander." The way Lyons spits that title makes it seem like a bad thing.

"Not only did you almost get all of your men killed," the Elder continues, "but you leveled the vault! 108 was to be a staging point for our effort in the war! Not to mention all the technology we could have uncovered from it! Yet you decided it is best to level the whole facility! Leaving us nothing! That coupled with you insubordination and total disregard for the chain of command in the past leaves me in a difficult situation, Commander! What would you have me do? What do you have to say for yourself?"

Tyler grinds his teeth. The courtyard is dead silent. He glares at the Elder as he steps forward, well aware that the eyes of hundreds are upon him. He sneers, and spits in the Elder's face. There is a collective gasp from the gathered crowd. Lyons looks shocked at first, but the emotion is quickly concealed behind in unreadable mask. "Very well," the Elder says coldly, "you leave me little choice. Until your trial I hereby confine you to your quarters. Guards, escort this swine out of my sight"

With a groan Tyler manages to tear himself from the dream as the image of Elder Lyons turning his back on him fades. He sits up and looks at his surroundings. There are multiple empty gurneys spread throughout the room. There is also an observation window that looks into a dark room containing two highly radioactive ghouls. He recognizes the Chop Shop of Underworld, but can't recall how he got here. "Good, you are awake." Tyler looks to see Barrows followed by Nurse Graves enter the room. Barrows is works as the doc for the ghoul settlers of Underworld, and has patched Tyler up more than a few times.

Tyler sits up in his cot and runs a hand through his hair. He still can't recall how he got here. The last thing he remembers is the fight in the Museum after they retrieved the satellite disk. "Hey doc," he rasps in a dry voice, "how exactly did I end up here?"

Nurse Graves steps up to him and lifts his arm, pressing some device against his skin as she talks. "Your friend Luther dragged you in here yesterday afternoon. You were coughing up blood and barely awake. We have been tending to you ever since. We had just stepped out to check up on your other smoothskin friend, Nick, the anesthesia we gave you must have worn off. How are you feeling?"

Tyler shakes his head, "Not really sure. I felt fine back in the Museum until I started coughing. It sorta just happened. Why? You know what is up with me?"

Doctor Barrows joins them at his cot. "Well, yes, we know very well what is happening to you. First though, let me ask, were you recently exposed to a server amount of radiation?"

His thoughts automatically go back to the dust storm when his gas mask broke and he inhaled all that radioactive dust. "Yeah, there was a storm not to long ago. The face of my gas mask got shattered and I breathed in some radioactive particles. The Doc in Megaton treated me and got my radiation levels back down though. Why?"

"Well," Barrows says, "whoever that Doctor was he obviously doesn't know enough to recognize the beginnings of ghoulification."

Tyler stares up at them without comprehension for along time, but then the words sink in. "Ghoulification." he mutters. He looks down at his hands. Clinging to the hand he passed over his head not moments ago are multiple strands of his hair. He looks back up at the Doctor and the Nurse. "I am turning into a ghoul?" He does't wait for them to answer, instead he jumps up and goes to a mirror set into the wall nearby. His reflection stares back at him. Shaggy hair, a thick beard, normal eyes, no signs of rotting flesh or glowing skin.

"The process is slow," Barrows explains as he walks over to a tray and examines a layout of objects on it, "you likely won't begin to show physical changes yet, though you hair has already begun to fall out. The process is different for everyone. It all depends on how much radiation you soaked up. It could take years for you to fully change, or it could be a matter of weeks. Only time will tell. There is no way to reverse the process once it has started, however, so you had best come to terms with the fact that one day, possibly very soon, you will be a ghoul. In essence, you are already."

After staring for a few more seconds, Tyler lowers his gaze from his reflection and turns to Barrows. "Fine, I am a ghoul. What does that mean exactly? Do I have to worry about parts of me falling off? Will I give off radiation to people I am near? And how exactly did this happen if the other Doc cleared me of radiation?"

Barrows chuckles. "Please, none of that is a serious problem. Yes, your skin will begin to peal off and your hair will likely fall out, but no, you do not conduct radiation, unless you end up like one of those two." he says gesturing at the feral ghouls beyond the observation window. "As for how it happened, that other Doctor only cleaned the radiation from your skin and digestive organs. It is your lungs that took the brunt of your exposure. Now, assuming that you do not go feral, you shouldn't experience any more attacks like the one you seem to have had recently, so long as you take these regularly." Barrows extends a hand holding several small syringes. "Med x, to slow the process and make the radiation more bearable."

Tyler takes the meds and stuffs them into a pocket. "Right, anything else I should know?"

Nurse Graves steps up, "Due to the ghoulification, feral ghouls will not attack you unless provoked. Also, you will now be immune to low levels of radiation exposure. Not only that, but depending on your degree of mutation you may even be healed by some radiation. I'm not saying you can take fifty bullets, dump some radioactive goo all over yourself and the bullets just pop out, but small wounds will heal faster when you are irradiated."

Tyler nods. "Right, got it. So do I ow you for the meds or any treatment you had to do?"

Barrows scoffs, "No, I never charge ghouls." He shoots Tyler a grin that he does not return. "Now, just a warning, like I have said the meds should help with the attacks, but they wont stop them. If another occurs, the best thing to do would be to return here, as quickly as possible." Tyler nods and goes back to his cot. On the way he can't help but notice another smooth, ah, human, lying unconscious on a cot in the corner. It is a woman who appears to be in her mid to early thirties with bright red hair. Despite looking fresh, the bandages that he can see have bloodstains soaked into them.

"Who is she?" he asks, jerking his head towards the woman.

Both Barrows and Nurse Graves adopt mournful looks, or as mournful as ghouls can look. "Her name is Reilly," Barrows says, the name sounds familiar to him, but he is unsure why. "She limped in here a few days ago, barely alive. She has extensive wounds from some conflict. We removed most of the bullets and stitched her up, but she has remained in a coma. She runs a merc organization know as Reilly's Rangers, very respected people. Always dealt with us fair. Better than most." Know Tyler remembers, he had heard of the Rangers from GNR's broadcasts. Apparently, they are the do-gooders of the wastes, while Talon Company are the baddies, and Luther and he are the in-betweens.

"Is there nothing you can do for her? Don't you have the equipment to bring her out of the coma?"

Barrows sighs, "We have the equipment, and all the proper meds we might need, but having everything and having the ability to actually preform the operation without killing her is a totally different thing. For now, all we can do is continue to tend to her wounds and make sure she lives lone enough to wake up on her own."

Tyler shrugs his shoulders. It isn't really any of his concern. Grabbing his weapons, he leaves, saying goodbye as he walks out. Once in the main lobby of Underworld, he stops. He is unsure where the others are or if they have even stuck around. He shrugs his shoulders and heads up to The Ninth Circle on the second level. He pushes open the door and steps in, just as a tall ghoul toting a combat shotgun wastes the bartender, Ahzrukhal. Automatically he reaches over his shoulder and unslings his shotgun. "Hey, what the hell was that?" The ghoul turns to him and begins to aim!

* * *

Luther hangs out the window the the Washington Monument with a screwdriver in one hand, a wrench clenched between his teethe, and a rusty hammer in his other hand. He gives one slam of the hammer and the old dish falls from the monument all the way to the ground below. His eyes follow it, and he flinches as it shatters once it hits the ground. Trying to ignore the sweat dripping from his face, and the height at which he hangs, he maneuvers the new dish into place and begins to attach it. He finds himself mumbling past the wrench in his mouth. "Fucking degenerate Brotherhood, can't even protect their own radio towers. In their out of date T-45d power armor, and their stupid nonsense about knightly values land honor. What a loud of bullshit!"

Moving slowly, he takes the wrench from his mouth, replacing it with the screwdriver, and switching the hammer to his free hand. He starts tightening the first of the bolts for the new dish. As he works his ravings switch from the Brotherhood to raiders, to slavers, to Supermutants, to feral ghouls, to squaters, back to the Brotherhood, to cannibals, to deathclaws, to yao guai, to molerats, to radroaches, especially radroaches, and finally ends with him grumbling, "Degenerates, the whole lot of them!"

Finishing up the last bolt he takes the screwdriver and begins to manipulate the dias that controls the broadcast. As he does, the radio inside the monument buzzes and crackles through the series of empty wavelengths. He starts to feel that he will be up here for hours before he finds GNR, when the static is broken by a few words. It wasn't enough to make out, but it was something. He slowly turns the dias back, and the words return, but the signal is still unintelligible . Frustrated, he throws his hands up and shouts angrily at the sky. As soon as the screwdriver is off of the dias the signal comes through loud and clear.

"...Butcher of Reilly's Rangers sending out an S.O.S. to all known friendly frequencies. Ammunition is low and we have lost a man. We are pinned down on the top of the Statesman Hotel by Supermutants. If assistance is not possible please try to make contact with Reilly who has made a run for Underworld inside the Museum of History. Shit, here the come again..." The message breaks off just as gunfire sounds in the background.

Luther stares at the radio, willing it to start broadcasting again, but nothing comes through. With a savage curse he lifts the screwdriver up to the dias and gives it a hard wrench. The second he does, the radio comes to life with music he recognizes from Three Dog's station. Quickly, he forces the cap down on the dias to ensure that it doesn't move and loose its wavelength. Tossing the tools into the monument, he reaches back to unstrap himself from the harness he was tied into. Pain flares through him as a bullet suddenly bursts through his shoulder and hand.

* * *

"Charon stop!" Suddenly Nick is standing between them and giving the tall ghoul, Charon, a death stare. "I didn't tell you to kill him, so what the hell was that all about?" The ghoul doesn't answer, he just shrugs and lowers his gun.

Tyler lowers his gun as well and gives Nick a quick once over. The kid has bought some more armaments for his gear, this time adding a metal chest plate over top of his leather pads. "Who the fuck is this Nick, and what the hell is going on here?"

Nick shakes his head. "This is Charon, he was a slave for Ahzrukhal, even a blind man could tell that, so I tried to free him by buying his contract. The second I tell him, he walks over and, well, you saw!" Nick turns back to Charon, "Explain yourself damn it!"

Again the ghoul shrugs, "He had it coming to him. Doesn't matter now, you are my new employer. I do what you say now."

Nick shakes his head. Tyler looks at him out of the side of his eye, "Never figured you for the type to own slaves Nick." Nick shoots him an angry look. "All right," he says holding up his hands, "bad joke."

"I don't want a slave. You are free damn it! Don't you get that? You. Are. Free!"

Charon crosses his arms and shakes his head. "Doesn't matter. You bought my contract, I work for you."

Nick goes to say something else, but a new voice interrupts. "It is no good arguing with him Nick." Quinn steps up with a three beers in his hands, handing one to Nick. "He is brainwashed. He is bound to whoever holds that contract of his. It is a way to ensure the loyalty of slaves. I've seen it used before." He turns to Tyler and offers a beer, "Good to see you mate, been a while."

Tyler takes the beer and claps the old ghoul on the shoulder. "Quinn, haven't seen you since we pulled that job for those idiots from the Commonwealth. Remember? They wanted us to track down their missing android?"

Quinn smiles, "I mainly remember how we screwed them over and set the android on them with a plasma rifle. That was a gory sight to behold. Been too long friend. Nick here as been telling me all about what you have been doing recently. I never took you to be the sentimental type, what with the daddy issues, but hey, who am I to tell you what jobs to take and not to take."

Tyler laughs, a genuine laugh, not one of the ones that just escapes him during combat. Then he looks around, noticing that Luther isn't present. He turns to Nick, "What have you done with Luther?"

Nick jerks his head towards the door. "He went to install that dish we took from the Museum. Said it wouldn't take him long and not to worry because the monument was close enough for the Brotherhood to provide him cover if he needed it. Also said it may be best if he went without us, mainly you. Care to explain that to me?"

Tyler shakes his head. "No, I don't." Nick shrugs and drops the subject, leading them over to a table with some drinks and food already set out on it. "Okay," Tyler says as he looks over the meal, "where did you get the caps to pay for all of this? I thought we were all still pretty much broke after buying all those supplies for this trip?"

Nick smiles, "While you were out and with Luther gone, I made myself useful. Winthrop and I did some repairs to the systems around here. Mostly small stuff, fixing some leaks, repairing routers, making sure the valves and readouts are functioning properly, shit like that. Winthrop and I even managed to cut a deal. Since it isn't safe for the ghouls to venture out, he will pay me for all the scrap I bring to him. Decent rate too, seeing as all I have to do is pull some parts of, well, anything really."

Tyler nods his head slowly, secretly impressed with the kid's work. Without any further discussion the group tucks into the food. "I didn't realize you were good with technology." Tyler says to Nick through a mouthful of Instamash.

Nick shakes his head, "I'm not, I am good with repairs. That was my job in the vault. Most of us only ever have one skill, focused on our place. That said, I also learned some extensive medical techniques from my father, mostly because I was always in the office when I was a kid. My... _Father,"_ he spits out as though it had a foul taste, "even took it upon himself to teach me some surgical procedures. He probably hoped I would take his place as the vault Doctor." Tyler watches as Nick cuts a slice of his brahmin steak and tosses it to the waiting jaws of his dog.

Tyler eyes the mutt as it hungrily tears into the meat. "You really have gotten attached to that shaggy excuse for a dog haven't you?" As if understanding that he was being insulted, the dog looked up at him with a steely glare and growled low in his throat. Tyler returned the glare and growled right back.

Nick smiles, "Careful Tyler, he was just tearing the throats out of Supermutants a few hours ago. I would hate to see what he might do to you." The teasing tone in the kid's voice causes Quinn to laugh.

"Oh," the ghoul gasps, "I would love to see that! A fight between two equally wild animals!" Quinn turns to Charon, "who do you think would win?" The tall ghoul ignores the question and continues to silently and slowly eat the food on his plate. Tyler notes that before taking a bite, Charon always examines whatever is on his fork before eating. "Wow," Quinn remarks, "really pushing the strong, silent type aren't you?" Again Charon does not answer, and Quinn waves him off.

An awkward silence falls over the table as everyone continues to stuff their faces with food. Tyler had just taken another bit of the Instamash when Nick turned to him, "So, I didn't ask before because of the inncedent with Charon, what was you diagnoses?"

Tyler stops, a spoonful of mash raised halfway to his mouth, as he realizes everyone, except Charon, is staring at him. He puts the spoon down and rubs his temples. He isn't really sure what to tell them. For that matter, is isn't sure how they will take it either. Hell, he isn't even sure how he feels about it! He decides, fuck it, they will find out eventually no matter what he tells them. "I am turning into a ghoul." He says it without any real emotion in his voice, and promptly resumes eating. If the silence before was awkward, the silence now is deafening.

Finally Quinn is the one to speak, "Well, you were always ugly as a human, maybe as a ghoul your chances with the ladies will improve." He says it seriously enough, but seconds later he, Tyler, and Nick are howling with laughter. "Barkeep," Quinn shouts, "a round of drinks over here, to celebrate." He pauses, then smiles and looks are Charon, "Wait, I forgot, you killed the barkeep!" Their sides heave with another burst of laughter. The other patrons give them queer looks, but they could care less. Even the dog joins in, barking happily.

The laughs freeze in their throats however, when Luther appears in the bars entrance. There is blood dripping from his hand from an unseen wound on his arm and a haggard look in his eyes. "We have trouble." He sits down at the table and clutches his arm. "I got the dish installed, but the second I did some chatter came through. I tweaked the signal and got an emergency broadcast from a group called Reilly's Rangers pinned down by Muties. I owe the Rangers, we have to help them, or they are all dead for sure."

 **Ah, just when things were looking up for out band of mercs.**


	16. Chapter 16

**All right, whats up wasteland fans? I got questioned about the cover art recently and yes, that is a depiction of Luther, though a much older and more weathered Luther than how he is presented in this story. Does that mean that we may be seeing more of our mercenary friends in other fanfics? Who knows?**

Chapter 16

Nick curses and throws his hands up in anger! For last five minutes he had been doing nothing but argue with Luther about bringing Reilly out of her coma. Not that they were debating on if they should or not, they all agreed that they needed to talk to her, instead they were fighting over how exactly to preform the operation. Nick, with the knowledge of surgical methods, suggested one way, While Luther, with his apparent know how, suggested something totally different. "Luther," Nick says, trying to keep the anger out of his voice, "we don't have enough information about her condition to go through with you idea. It could kill her!"

Luther rounds on him, "And you think you know enough to risk your method? Your way could just as easily leave her brain dead! Then what use would she be to us?"

Nick gives up trying to be calm, "So you think that your way, where we skip vital steps, would end up any better!"

"Enough!" They all turn in surprise to Charon. The ghoul had barely said a word. "The two of you are giving me a headache."

Nick sighs and rubs his temples. Charon is right, this whole situation sucks. The Rangers need help, quick. Yet none of them feel comfortable leaving without getting some information when the opportunity is lying on a cot right in front of them. Nick's way will likely be the safest, but it still has its drawbacks. Luther's suggestion will get Reilly up faster, but it is more likely to cause her harm. If only there were some way for them to go ahead and set off to rescue the Rangers and get the info out of Reilly...

An idea begins to grow in his mind as he turns and regards Doctor Barrows. "You said you have all the equipment and resources you need, right?" The ghoul doctor nods, not quit getting what Nick is saying. Turning to Luther, he says, "What if I stay back and help with the operation while you and Tyler go ahead to the Ranger's location. Charon and I can radio you with anything we find out and then join up with you."

He watches as Luther and Tyler think it over. Luther looks over at Tyler and he shrugs his shoulders. "Fine," Luther finally says, "do it. But how are you supposed to contact us?"

"The Ranger's radio signal. Use that." Nick scribbles down the frequency Luther gives him and stuffs it into a pocket. "If Reilly has anything good then I will take care of it before joining up with you. That said, if I take care of my half of the job and don't hear from the Ranger's that you have yet to arrive, I will assume you two got yourselves backed into a corner and need me to rescue you."

Luther cracks a smile, "Sounds good. Don't worry kid, no Muties can bring us down, but I get what you are saying."

Tyler cackles, causing him to cough hard before managing to say, "Back me into a corner? No fucking way!"

Nick nods and turns his pipboy to the frequency. He looks up just as Luther and Tyler leave. A small pang of loss hits him. It takes him a few seconds to figure out why. Then it occurs to him. This is the first time since leaving the vault that he had willing parted ways with the two mercs. Sure there was that time he stormed off in anger, but Tyler was hospitalized and Luther locked up, so that does not count. The idea of being left behind, no matter if it is willingly, does not sit well with him. It takes him a second to figure out why, but the realization makes him shudder. It is his father. His father up and left him, and that caused him to get tossed into the wasteland. He shakes his head, no point on dwelling on it, not when he has work to do.

* * *

Nick groans as he stretches and fells his back crack in several places. He had been hunched over the operating table for almost an hour now, barely moving save for his hands which flew over Reilly's head as he worked. His labor, however, was well rewarded when Reilly opened her eyes after he finished and even let out a few noncoherent sounds. Doctor Barrows rolls a chair over to him and he sinks into it gratefully, watching as Nurse Graves helps a still groggy Reilly sit up in her cot. "Easy there," Nurse Graves coos in as gentle a voice as a ghoul can manage, "you need to take it slow. You've obviously been through a lot."

At the nurses words the red head sits bolt upright and looks around the room frantically. "Where am I? What happened? Oh shit, the rangers! I need to get out of here, they need my help!" She moves to leap off of the cot.

Nick is there before she can, grabbing her arms and pinning them to her sides. He puts as much force behind his gaze and words as he can. "Sit down!" Without a any resistance, she does. He keeps his eyes glued to hers as he speaks. "We know about your men, we heard their radio hail. We have people already on the move to aid them. You have been in a coma for a while now. You need to rest. That said, any information you can provide me may save the lives of your people and mine."

She narrows her eyes at him suspiciously. "Just who they hell are you to give me orders?"

Nick thinks of how Luther often adopts a cold emotionless mask that seems to scare people more than pure rage. Doing his best to imitate that, he lowers his voice to a neutral, but still hard, tone. "I am the one who spent the last hour working to pull you out of that coma without causing you permanent brain damage. I am also the one whose friends are currently fighting their way to your men. I also happen to be the one who can relay any information you give me to both your men and mine. Now drop the bravado and give me something to work with."

She stares at him, her mouth hanging a little open. "Well," she stars, "you've got some balls, talking to me like that. Fine. We were pinned down. It was my fault, I led them into that dead end. So I decided I was going to make a run for it, try and get some help. On the way I was hit, several times. I don't know how I even managed to get all the way here, I assume this is Underworld?" Nick nods. "Right," she continues, "I had hoped I would be able to retrieve some additional ammo from one of our people who was killed during the fight, but I got sidetracked. As it is, my best hope is to get back to our compound and get some supplies from there."

Nick nods and rubs the thick stubble on his chin. "Fair enough. Lets get you up and then we can get moving."

"We?" she demands.

Nick looks at her with a level expression. "We." his tone leaves no room for argument. Reilly rolls her eyes but does not press the point any further. Nick takes some med x and presses it into her arm. "That should numb the pain, but you are going to have to take it easy. Tell me where your compound is and I will make sure that the both of us arrive there alive."

She huffs and motions at his pipboy. He holds his arm out and she takes it, pressing a few keys. She shoves his arm back at him when she is done. "There," she snaps, "I programmed your pipboy with the location. We are likely going to have to face off with some Supermutants, possibly some Talon Company mers." She looks at him out of the corner of her eye, sizing him up. "Think you can handle that?"

Nick rolls his shoulders, bringing attention to the assault rifle slung across his back. "I am not one for boasting. If you are ready, lets get moving." He waits patiently as the woman slowly makes her way over to a locker that Nurse Graves says all her equipment is in. He watches as she opens the locker and then pulls her shirt off over her head. the Nurse and the Doctor both avert their eyes, but Nick does no such thing. Instead he keeps an impassive look on his face. Reilly seems to deflait a little, which confirms his reasoning that she only removed her shirt in the hopes of shocking him. The redhead pulls on her green combat armor and takes out a 10mm submachine gun. "Ready?" he asks, and she nods. "Lets get moving."

They two of them make their way out of Underworld. Charon and Dogmeat are waiting for them at the museum exit. Reilly gives Charon an appraising look, appearing to be a little uneasy about the tall ghouls presence. "Don't worry," Nick reassures, "he is on our side. Though I would be happier if he would just accept the fact that he is free and not insist on following me around."

Charon grunts, "You hold my contract, that means you are my employer. You saying otherwise doesn't change that."

A though occurs to Nick as they walk. "So I could rewrite your contract and then you could be free, or at least a little less bound, right?"

The ghoul looks troubled by the prospect and does not answer. Reilly steps up beside Nick, "I doubt that would work. From what I have seen of brainwashing, granted I've only seen a little, but the actual piece of paper doesn't matter. It is just symbolic. Hell, that paper you have with you could get destroyed and he would still serve you, though you would have to find a replacement or something bad might happen to his mind."

Nick gives her an odd look out of the corner of his eye, "What do you mean by, 'something bad'? Will he go insane?"

Reilly shrugs her shoulders, "It is possible. It depends on the depth of the connection forged between him and the contract. Brainwashing is all about tricking the mind, conditioning, that sort of shit. Think of it like this. Someone trained his mind to believe that he has to serve whoever possesses what he believes is his contract. Now, there is probably a lot more to it than that, but that is just the general idea."

Nick ponders her words. It seems strange that a person could be manipulated into such a strange circumstance. It seems strange that someone could be so heavily tied to an object that they would serve whoever holds it. As they descend into the metro tunnels, careful to be on the lookout for ferals, Nick finds himself thinking back to the vault. More specifically, the Overseer.

He once told Luther and Tyler that the vault hierarchy was set up the same as everywhere else. The Overseer, guards, and then everyone else. Now though, he can't help but feel that it isn't that simple. All through his childhood, the idea that the Overseer is the one who protects and shelters all the inhabitants of the vault was hammered into his head. There were the posters, the radio broadcasts, and all the times in school when they watched those promotional videos. Looking back on that, and how so many people bought into it, he can't help but feel that maybe his vault wasn't as innocent as he once thought it was.

Dogmeat brushes against his leg and he smiles down at the dog. Then a dark thought occurs to him, has the dog been brainwashed as well? He hadn't really stopped to think about the dog ever since it saved him in the metro. He didn't do anything to earn its trust, hell he didn't even find it, it found him. So why had it decided he was the master? Why not Luther or Tyler?

He shakes his head. All these theories about brainwashing make his head spin. The concept just seems to outlandish and just plain wrong. To him, it is too similar to slavery. In a sense, it is slavery. He glances over his shoulder at Charon. The tall ghoul has his combat shotgun out and is scanning the dark tunnel before them for any signs of danger. Nick feels that the ghoul would do everything in his power to keep him out of danger, but is he right to think that? Did Charon kill that other ghoul, Az something, because he was his master and he was freed from him? Did that make Nick a slaver? The idea sickened him.

"Hey," Reilly's voice pulls him from his thoughts, "you said you had some people going to rescue my crew. Who exactly are they?"

Nick smirks,"They are mercenaries, like me." The fact that this is the first time he has openly said he is a mercenary briefly strikes him as odd, but he pushes the thought aside. "I hooked up with them, hmm, maybe a few months ago. Their names are Tyler and Luther. Real serious sorts..."

"Shit," Reilly interrupts at hearing their names. She turns on her heals and levels her sawed off shotgun at his chest. Charon stops and aims at her head. Nick freezes in place, caught off guard by the red heads sudden anger. Beside him Dogmeat growls low, crouching as if ready to strike. "Call off your watchdogs." Reilly's voice is hard, leaving no doubt that she means business. Nick motions for Charon to lower his rifle and reaches down to grab Dogmeat's fur. "What do you want? Where you planning on killing me when I got you into the compound? Speak!"

Keeping a tight grip on Dogmeat with one hand, he holds out the other in a gesture of peace. "All right, easy. I don't know what you are going on about, but keep in mind that we are the people trying to help you. Hell, Luther seemed panicked when he told us your men were in danger."

Reilly tenses at the mention of Luther's name. He tries to read her expression, but her face is set in stone. "You don't know do you?" She lets out a short, bark like, laugh. "He didn't tell you." Nick still has no idea what the woman is talking about and is beginning to think that maybe he did damage her brain during the operation after all. Reilly shakes her head, her weapon still pointed at him. "That, man, Luther. We tried to help him once. Then we found out who he is. We found out about the things he had done. He told us that was all in the past, that he was different, and we believed him! Then he gets us a job, which turns out to be a trap set for us by Talon Company! Some of my best men got killed in that trap, and the rest of us barely made it out. The Rangers have been a shadow of what we once were ever since. And it is all because of him!"

 **And there you have it. another big slap to the face! Who are Luther and Tyler? What have they done to get Reilly so pissed off at them? Find out, by reading more...**


	17. Chapter 17

**Righto, here begins chapter 17. Not much to say, so enjoy!**

chapter 17

Luther grabs Tyler and throws the both of them forward as the missile sails past their head and explodes against the wall behind them, shaking the whole building. The floor beneath their feet rumbles and begins to fall away. Luther just barely manages to grab onto a support beam as they fall and he feels Tyler grab on to his legs. The building continues to rumble. "Climb!" Luther shouts frantically. He feels Tyler begin to make his way up, using both him and what remains of the building around him. Blood wells from between Luther's fingers as the weight drives the splintered wood into his hand. "Hurry!" he shouts as he feels his grip weakening.

Somehow Tyler makes it up and manages to haul Luther up just as he was sure his hands would give out. He refuses to look down at the ground far below as he examines his hands. there are deep gashes where the splintered beam cut into his palms, and there is blood, lots of blood. "Fuck." he mutters as he gingerly takes off his pack and digs around for his medical supplies. Pulling out the small metal medical box, he cringes as he attempts to flip open the latches but only succeeds in leaving bloodstains everywhere.

"Let me." Tyler says, sliding the box towards himself and flipping the latches. "What is it you need?" Luther tells him to get out the roll of gauze and the small bottle of alcohol. "I thought you didn't drink any more?" Luther doesn't feel like responding with his normal anger and instead takes the bottle from Tyler, trying to ignore the pain in his hands as he unscrews the top. He pours the contents of the bottle over his hands, hissing in pain as the liquid burns against the wounds. Then he holds out his hands and indicates for Tyler to go ahead and wrap them now.

As Tyler works, Luther looks up the hallway at the idiot who caused this mess. The Mutie is dead, a large chunk of metal debris having pierced its chest. The stupid brute had fired at them with a missile launcher! Inside! Luther isn't sure of the total damage done to the building, but he is sure that behind them is nothing but empty space and twisted metal. "Shit." he hisses through clinched teeth as Tyler finishes wrapping his left and and ties it off, tightly.

"Don't be a pussy." Tyler growls at him as he moves to the other hand. Luther ignores the insult and looks at his left hand, the one already bound. At least his partner was smart enough to leave his fingers free. He attempts flexing them, and is alarmed with only his ring and middle fingers move. He tries again, and this time his index manages to twitch, but that small movement sends pain shooting up his forearm. Damn, the ligaments or nerves must have been damaged. Trying to move his index again, this time he manages to curl it all the way closed, but it hurts like a bitch. This is going to be a major problem if his right hand is damaged the same way.

Tyler finishes bandaging his right and stands up, watching as Luther flexes the now bound hand. His index and middle fingers move fine, but his ring and pinky fingers won't budge. he decides that is fine, as long as he can still grip his weapons. He stands and nods his head at Tyler. They continue through the building, looking for the downed radio tower they spotted from outside.

Once they had arrived in the plaza leading to where the Rangers where pinned down, they had stealthily made their way towards the hotel, only to find that the entrance was blocked by way to many Muties for them to even consider attempting to fight their way in. Instead they circled around, hoping to find a back door. Instead they noticed the downed radio tower bridging the gab between the hotel and a pre-war hospital next door. Neither were too keen on going into the hospital, but upon finding no other way into the hotel, that is where they went.

Once inside they encountered more Muties than they were expecting to and eventually found themselves running for their lives up through the multiple floors. they had been pinned down, right up until that one Mutie fired that missile at them. When you look at it that way, that Mutie may have saved them, in a fucked up sort of way.

Eventually they reach the spot where the radio tower collapsed. There is a short burst of wind that enters through the gaping hole in the building, and Luther decides that he is not as interested in crossing between the buildings as he had thought. The height makes him dizzy, and he is glad he hasn't eaten recently, or he may be hurling all over the place. "Shit," he mutters.

Tyler rolls his eyes. "Are you serious, I have seen you face down a sentry bot without getting nervous, and a little height makes you sick?"

Luther glares at him. "Hey, listen, you hate tight spaces, I dislike heights. Don't fuck with me about it, lets just get this over with!" Before Tyler can say another word, and before his nerve leaves him, he dashes across the rickety metal bridge. He all but leaps the final stretch of distance and hugs the wall once he is there. Releasing the breath he hadn't realized he was holding, he forces himself to look back over his shoulder. Tyler is casually walks across the bridge, letting out a low chuckle as he reaches Luther and gives him a pat on the shoulder.

They enter the hotel and carefully make their way through the dark interior. After passing through the remains of a few empty rooms, they spot a Mutie standing guard at at set of stairs leading up to the next floor. Luther slowly takes his rifle off his back and works his fingers into position, forcing them around the stock. He aims, and fires once, automatically working a second bullet into the chamber. The Muties head snaps back and its body falls backwards onto the stairs. Tyler rushes forward with his shotgun, ready to finish the brute off if it is still breathing, but Luther hangs back. His hands are screaming in pain at the forced movement.

Pushing through it, he stands and moves up the stairs slowly, with Tyler right behind him. As the reach the next floor they stop and look out into a large dinning area. At first glance, he doesn't see anything, but then he spots three Muties patrolling along an upper level. From the low lighting, he cant quit tell what weapons two of them are carrying, but there is no mistaking the large mini-gun being toted by the third. Tyler taps his shoulder and points at a nearby supply closet. Through it can bee seen a protectron model robot. Then Tyler points out a slightly glowing bottle of Nuka-Cola. "Quantum," Tyler mouths silently.

At first Luther does not understand, then it hits him. If the protectron has the right parts left inside of it, they can construct a makeshift grenade of extreme power. The schematic is doggy, and they have only managed to make it work once, but hell, it sure beats trying to cross that much open space while a Mutie with a mini-gun rains bullets on their heads. Luther nods his understanding and begins to carefully work his way out towards the Quantum. He moves between tables, attempting to stay out of the Muties line of sight at all times. As a result, he ends up crouched beneath one table for almost five minutes.

While they are sneaking, the sound of gunfire suddenly starts up above them. Luther curses quietly, the Muties must be making another push on the Rangers. The three Muties are distracted by the sound, and Luther dashes forward the rest of the way to the Quantum. Swiping the bottle off of the table he shoots a look up at the Super Mutants. They have returned to their patrolling. Luther goes to move, but backs into a table, knocking a plate to the ground. The plate smashes against the floor. Luther freezes in place, staring up at the Muties.

"I think I hear something." One of them growls thickly. The large yellow bastard starts down the stairs towards him. Luther backs away slowly, staying out of its line of sight. He crouches beneath a nearby table and draws his magnum, wincing as he forces his finger into the trigger. The Mutie stops at the table where the the plate fell. It sniffs the air, like a dog, before stomping on the plate. "Just some stuff!" The brute turns and starts to walk away, but Luther's finger twitches against his will. The hair trigger of his magnum causes the gun to go off. The bullet flies through the air, tearing through the side of the Muties face.

The Mutie lets out a howl and turns, swinging its massive arms and overturning all the nearby tables! Luther scrambles back, running towards the supply closet. He ducks as Tyler leans out and fires a few covering shots, but that does not stop the Muties opening up with their weapons. bullets fill the air, one grazing Luther's side and causing him to lurch to the side before throwing himself into the supply closet. He tosses Tyler the Quantum and pulls his rifle off his back to provide cover for his partner while he constructs the bomb.

As he leans out to fire, the one with the mini-gun opens up on their position. He curses and throws himself back again as the door frame is riddled with holes. "Done!" Tyler shouts, tossing him the explosive. Luther does not hesitate and hurls the make shift grenade out the closet door. He covers his ears and waits, but nothing happens. "Shit!" Tyler shouts. Luther growls and jumps to his feet. Before he can think better, he dashes out the door and slides across the floor. He aims, fires, and watches as the bullet hits the grenade and an explosion fills the dinning area!

The force from the explosion sends him sliding backwards along the floor until his back hits against a wall. The light generated from the blast blinds him for a moment and he has to shield his eyes. After a few seconds, the light fades and he risks lowering his hand. Before him is the destroyed remains of the dinning area. A perfect, empty, ring of blackened floor takes up the center of the room. The explosive tossed everything that wasn't nailed down all over the place. he spots the torched remains of the one Mutie that was down on the level with him and can also see the bodies of the other two. He stands carefully, not sure if anything is broken.

"Damn," Tyler mutters as he steps into the blackened ring, "I don't remember it causing this much damage last time." Luther grunts in reply and ascends the stairs up the the second level, looking for the roof access door. The fighting from outside has stopped and he is worried they may be too late. Tyler joins him as he finds the door and he can't help but notice the large amount of clanging coming from his partners pack. "What," he asks with a shrug, "the other parts of that protectron might make just as good bombs as the one I used did."

Luther shakes his head and steps outside. The first thing he notices is the large number of dead Muties. There are some that have been sitting for at least three days, and others that look to have recently been taken down. Moving around on the roof, they eventually come to a set of stairs leading up to what looks to be an outdoor patio. They make their way up to find even more dead Muties. "All right," a voice shouts ahead of them, "that is close enough! Hands where we can see them!"

Tyler looks to Luther who nods. They both raise their hands. The person speaking steps out from behind a quickly built barricade and approaches them warily. Luther recognizes Butcher, the Ranger's medic, and the one who was sent out the emergency hail. He thinks back the last time the two of them spoke, and a small want to kill the man hits him. "I'll be damned," Butcher growls as he recognizes Luther, "you have a whole lot of nerve, showing up now of all times. I ought to just gun you down, but I'm going to give you the benefit of a doubt because I don't think you would have come all this way just to kill us yourself. No, you would have left us to die, that is more you style."

Luther sees Tyler give him a confused look from the corner of his eye and discretely lower his hands a little. Luther gives a small shake of his head, starting a fight with Butcher while the other Rangers are around will only end up with the both of them turned into mincemeat. Not to mention that he has no fucking clue what the Ranger is talking about. "Okay Butcher, I was expecting you to be hostile, seeing as you lot left me do die on that last mission, but I was not expecting you to be blaming me for something. that aside, you are right, we are not..."

"We left you!" Butcher shouts, interrupting Luther. "You left us! You led us into that god forsaken hole and left us high and dry! The second we got there and the fighting started, you disappeared on us! We barely made it out alive! Six people died because of you Luther! Six! Bry, Andy, Eric, Brenda, Loren, and Phillip are all dead because of you!"

Butcher's words hit Luther like a hammer to the gut. "What?" he barely managed to say. "That, that isn't right. You lot abandoned me to deal with that behemoth on my own! You left me to set the charges, on my own! I blew that place to hell, but not before wading through wave after wave of raiders, on my own! I don't know what world you are living in Butcher, but the Rangers betrayed me! Now here I am, trying to save you despite you having left me to die before, and you blame me for what happened!"

Butcher snarls like a wild animal and gets right into Luther's face. "Don't try and twist the truth around! You led us into that ambush! What did you expect, that we would actually try and finish the job after we figured out it was just some psycho's way to kill us all off and make way for his high rising buddies back int the..." He doesn't get to finish his sentence as he is punched in the face.

Luther steps back, surprised, as Butcher stumbles back. Standing where Butcher was is Brick, the Ranger's heavy weapons specialist. The muscular woman is fuming and has a look on her face that says, shut the fuck up. "Shut the fuck up! I really don't care who betrayed who, we can kill each other later! Right now, we have more Muties coming our way and these two obviously want to help! Luther, you and your friend cover the left side, don't let any of those yellow bastards past us! Butcher, you get back in place and let Eugene and I do our job!" The woman lovingly pats her mini-gun.

Luther and Butcher exchanges glances once more before nodding and moving to their places. "So," Tyler says as he leans up against the barricade and readies his shotgun, "I like her. Think she would be up for a threesome with me and Clover sometime?"

Shaking his head, Luther struggles to get a proper grip on his rifle. "I don't think she is your type. That aside, unless you are into getting tied up to the bed and having freaky shit done to you, I suggest you stay away from her, and Eugene."

Tyler gives him a strange look. "You mean her mini-gun? She doesn't actually? Does she?" Luther does not answer, instead he shakes his head and works the bolt action of his rife as the first of the Muties reach the top of the stairs. At first, Brick and Eugene do most of the work while the rest of them save up their ammo. Eventually, however, Eugene splutters and ceases its rain of fire. Brick falls back to reload and everyone else joins the fight. From their position, they make quick work of the Muties who have to cross a lot of open space before getting to their defenses. That said, the bastards just keep coming.

"I am almost out of ammo!" Tyler shouts as he blasts the arms off of a nearby Mutie. Luther is also almost out, and further down the line he can hear the other Rangers calling out similar messages. A Mutie breaches the barricade and charges one of the Rangers who is reloading. Luther guns the brute down and moves to cover the hole in the line. Two Muties rush him at the same time. He manages to take down one, but is too slow the kill the other before it is on him.

He lets out a shout of pain as the Super Mutant rips the rifle out of his hands and tosses it away. The Mutie reaches for him and he just barely manages to step away before being crushed in the brutes massive arms. The Mutant roars and swings at him, catching him in the chest and lifting him off the ground before slamming him back down. The air rushes out of his lungs and he gasps as the Mutie pushes down on his chest, squeezing the life out of him. He draws his knife and forces it into the Mutie's arm! The mutant howls in pain and whips its arm back, tearing the knife out of its arm as it does so. Thick blood pours from the wound on the Mutant, and Luther sits up, driving the blade into the brute's now exposed side repeatedly until it stops moving.

He stands and looks for his gun, but can't see it. Drawing his magnum, he turns back to the barricade and drops two Muties with one shot to the head each. A grenade lands at his feet and he has just enough time to kick it back before it detonates. One Mutant is killed by the grenade, and two have limbs blown off. Taking advantage of the mess caused by the explosion, Luther charges out of the barricade and scoops up a discarded assault rifle from the ground. He empties the magazine, spraying lead in every direction, before dropping the now empty gun and leaping back behind cover.

Brick rejoins the fight and the remaining Muties are quickly mopped up. "Yeah," Brick shouts triumphantly, "now that is what I am taking about!" Luther drops to the ground. Sweat is rolling off of him. He takes a deep breath and takes the hand Tyler offers him, letting his partner pull him back to his feet. As he stands, pain flares from the hand Tyler is holding. He jerks his hand back and lets out a strangled sound.

"Oh, shit," Tyler apologizes, "your hangs!" Luther looks down. The bandages are torn and soaked with blood. His fingers are either twitching, or lying suspiciously still. "Can you feel them?" Luther shakes his head as Tyler pulls out a Med X, "Here, then, take this."

Butcher appears beside them and stops Tyler from injecting Luther with the pain killers. "He does not need those, what he needs is for someone to look at his hands and stitch them up properly before he looses any more blood." Butcher gives him a pointed look before saying, "He is a good enough medic that he should know that already." Luther growls at the insult, but Butcher holds up a hand to stop him from speaking. "Listen, we wouldn't have made it just now without the two of you here. Whatever happened, we can't change it or deal with it now. Let me fix your hands up and we can work out a way to get us all out of here."

Luther nods as his left index finger twitches and pain shoots up his arm. "Fine, just do whatever you think it is you have to." Butcher starts to work and Luther looks at the other rangers. Brick is cleaning Eugene, and there is only one other, Donovan. "Is this really it?"

Butcher stops and looks up at him. "Yeah, after Evergreen Mills, we hit even more rough times. We couldn't land any real jobs and the caps quickly started drying up. Our numbers have been thinning ever since. Some left, others died, and Reilly got more and more reclusive. Now its just us, Theo died on our way here, he was the one carrying most of our ammo. We were sure we were done for the next time the Muties showed up, but then you walked up the stairs."

"Reilly blames you," he continues, switching to Luther's other hand, "she has said so several times. I didn't at first, but after hearing it for that long, it is hard to to think it is true. When I saw it was you standing there, well, maybe I did blame you, but you and your friend saved our asses. For now, that is good enough." He finishes working on the hand and stands up. "I don't forgive you, if it was your fault or not remains to be seen, but it was still you who brought that job to us. Right now, lets find a way off of this fucking rooftop."

Luther stands and looks around, imediatly noticing the nearby elevator. "I take it there is something wrong with that thing, or are you all just that slow?"

Butcher rolls his eyes, "And I was trying to be nice. Yes, the elevator is a no go. Donovan thinks he could get it running, but he is missing some key parts. There was a protectron in the dinner down below that may have had the parts, but there is not getting down there now that we are all back up here. It would be suicide to try it."

Luther smiles as he looks over at Tyler. Tyler nods and moves over to Donovan and offers the smaller mechanic his pack. "Well," Luther says as he turns to Butcher with a wide smile on his face, "looks like my friend and I are your saving angels."

 **There you have it, sorry this one took so long to get our. Rewrote it more than a few times. Hope you all enjoyed. As always, leave a review, any and all criticisms are welcome.**


	18. Chapter 18

**So Fallout 4 is finally out! I want to apologize in advance as I may not be updating regularly now that I have something to devote the next few months of my life to. That aside, enjoy the new chapter and leave a review!**

Chapter 18

Nick's pipboy beeps as a new radio transmission is picked up. Navigating to the radio screen, he activates the signal. "Nick," Luther's voice cuts through the static, "I hope you can hear me. We have secured the Rangers and are now in route to their base! We also have a large number of Muties hot on our heals so get ready for a fight when we arrive! I am airing this just after sunset, so it is up to you to figure out how close we are by the time you hear this! By the way, make sure Reilly doesn't try and kill me, from the reception I got from her men I take it she has it out for me." The transmission ends and repeats itself after a brief pause.

"Well," Nick says, looking over at the again unconscious Reilly, "looks like we will be getting some company after all." When Reilly pulled that gun on him in the metro tunnels he reacted the way the wasteland has taught him to, by disarming her and knocking her out, again. He felt bad about it, but she had been holding a gun to his head. Charon carried the woman the rest of the way. They had some trouble finding the Ranger's base of operations, but then Nick spotted their symbol spray painted along some walls. The symbols led them right to the place. Reilly had already told him the code to get into the base before they left Underworld, in case they were separated while in the tunnels.

Now Luther and Tyler are on their way and bringing a fight with them, typical. "Charon, I want you to go up to the surface and watch for them. If you see any signs of them, or the Supermutants let me know." The tall ghoul grunts in response and heads back the way they came. Turning to Reilly, Nick decides that it may be a good idea to restrain her just in case wakes up and tries to cause some trouble. Then the idea of tying up a blacked out woman might send the wrong message. Instead he decides to risk leaving her as she is. She isn't his enemy, she just thinks Luther is.

Searching the compound with Dogmeat, he manages to find a good deal of ammo and several sets of impressive armor. Looking down at his battered and pockmarked gear, he decides to help himself. Removing the layers makeshift leather and metal armor he quickly straps on the new gear. This stuff feels hardy. It is thick, but not as heavy as the metal armor Tyler wears. It is a slight green color with the Ranger's symbol painted on the chest plate. He also discovers a large selection of explosives, including mines, grenades, and even one of those miniature nukes. Shoving all of the weapons into a rucksack he heads up the surface to join Charon.

He instructs the ghoul to help him lay the mines down along the two entrances to the courtyard leading to the Ranger's base. The location is very well picked. The courtyard is surrounded on all sides by ruins that would take hours to navigate. There are only two narrow tunnels leading into the courtyard and it is in them that the majority of the mines are placed. Picking his way through the new mine field, Nick waits outside with Charon and Dogmeat, anxiously scanning for the others. He looks eastward to see that the sun is starting to rise up over the horizon. "They should be here by now."

Time ticks by, each second seeming to take ages. Nick starts pacing. His blood is boiling and he is ready for a fight. He stops short. That, is a strange realization. He is itching for the fighting to start. Not only that, but is ticked off by the fact that Tyler and Luther got to go and battle a horde of Supers on their own. Strange, he had never before thought of himself as the sort to enjoy conflict of any kind. He had spent years learning how to talk his way out of problems. Only now here he is, pacing and growling like a caged animal before a fight. He wonders when he became so violent, and the answer seems obvious. The Pitt.

The memory of that place stirs up the anger that had been lying dormant for a few days. Hate, hate for the place, hate for the people, and most of all hate for himself surges through him. Great, now he really needs to kill something. In the Pitt, killing is celebrated. Hell, everywhere in the wasteland killing is celebrated. Everywhere he as been, killing is there. Death follows him and everyone else throughout their entire lives out here. It is kill or be killed. Tyler and Luther taught him that. So what is the point of it all? Whey does anyone even bother? If their entire lives is about killing so as not to be killed themselves, why live?

His thoughts are interrupted by the unmistakable sound of gunfire and cursing. Looking up he immediately spots the group of people fleeing from the entrance of a metro tunnel. He crouches down and lifts his assault rifle, ready for anything. Charon steps up beside him and lifts his combat shotgun and Dogmeat crouches low, ready to spring. He makes out Luther, Tyler, and the people who must make up the rest of the Rangers as they get closer. He also notices the large number of Supers hot on their heals. Nick stands and waves to get their attention. "This way," he shouts, "we rigged the tunnels with explosives so follow me or get blown to bits!"

They fall into line behind him and they all quickly make their way through the tunnels. When they reach the courtyard everyone automatically takes up defensive positions. At first, nothing happens, but then their is a resounding boom as the mines detonate. Smoke and debris billow out from the two tunnels leading into the courtyard. Seconds later the Supers come pouring through. The first are injured and disoriented from the explosions, and the defenders make quick work of them. The waves that come after though are just angry. Nick fires furiously, his face twisted into a savage snarl as he mows down mutant after mutant.

Soon there are corpses strewn all over the courtyard, but the Supers just keep coming! "Fall back!" someone yells. Nick almost does not hear the order over the sound of the fighting. He orders Charon back and has to drag Dogmeat away from the corpse of a Super the hound brought down. He shoves the dog towards the compound and shouts in pain as a bullet finds its way through a gap in his armor. Stumbling through the door he hears it close and seconds later the sound of a Super slamming into the metal frame. "We need a counter attack." Nick looks up to see Luther standing nearby. "There has to be a back door we can use to flank those bastards!"

A man wearing the armor of the Rangers shakes his head. "No," he says between gasps for breath, "this is the only door. One way in, one way out."

"Damn," Tyler swears angrily, "trapped in a fucking box!" Nick gives the angry merc a wary look, well aware of his hate for tight spaces. "I see only one option, we open up that door and blow away anything stupid enough to poke its head through."

Nick sits up and winces in pain. He twists around and examines the wound. The bullet managed to find a gap in his armor near his stomach. The round passed all they way through, but he cannot tell if there has been any serious internal damage. "Hey," he looks up at the nearby voice to see the same Ranger who spoke before. "You are the one who helped Reilly right?" Nick nods, confused at the hostility in the man's voice. "Then where is she? Did you leave here with those fucking zombies?"

He sees both Tyler and Luther bristle at the man's words. Nick meets his gaze and jerks his head towards the room where he left Reilly to rest. "Relax, she is in there out cold. The trauma from the surgery I had to preform to get her out of her coma resulted in her being in a weakened state. She was out halfway here. Right now we have bigger concerns." It was only a half lie, her condition had weakened her. "How can we deal with these Supers?" He looks around at the gathered people. They are all streaked with blood, dirt, and other gore. Not to mention the dark circles under the eyes of the Rangers. Likely they didn't get much rest while pinned down on that building.

"Butcher," Luther speaks in a warning tone, "this is no time for bravado."

"I have an idea," a brawny woman growls with a big smile, "lets open up that door and introduce them all to Eugene!" Who the hell is Eugene? Nick looks over at Luther and Tyler for an answer but they both just shake their heads.

"Look," Luther states as the door to the outside gives a violent shudder, "we don't have much time. I say we open this fucking door, we are dead if we don't and we could die if we do. Personally, I like those odds. Butch, do you have any heavier fire power stashed away down here?"

Butch, the Ranger who was all pissed about Reilly, shakes his head. "This idiot," he shouts as he waves a hand at Nick, "used up all of our explosives with that little stunt back there in the tunnels! There is nothing else!"

"Now," the brawny woman says in a southern accent, "that ain't entirely true." Everyone looks at her and she gives a sheepish smile. "I have a back up Eugene in case I ever lost this one. With two of these babies rolling, those bastards won't stand a chance in this tight space. It will be like shooting fish in a barrel! Ha!" Nick realizes that Eugene, is the woman's over sized mini-gun.

Before anyone else can say anything Tyler shouts, "Dibs, I call getting that gun! Brick," he says to the woman, "I am getting that gun."

Nick eyes the merc nervously, Tyler with a mini-gun does not sound like that good of an idea. "Righto," Brick shouts joyfully, "lets go wake up Eugene!" The two rush into the compound and the door again shudders, this time a few screws pop out of place and the metal bends. Luther orders everyone back, and to Nick's surprise the other two Rangers obey without question, even that asshole Butcher. Again and again the door shudders, and finally, it bursts inward! A Super lumbers inside, its bulk filling up the small staircase leading down into the compound. Nick does not hesitate, he lifts his assault rifle and puts a quick burst into the beasts head. The big yellow corpse jerks backwards for a second before tumbling down the stairs.

More Supers follow after the first. Quickly room is running out. The Supers are having to push the bodies of their fallen comrades out of the way so as they can attack. Bullets fly everywhere, slamming into bodies, ricocheting off of walls, and spraying blood over everything. Soon the floor beneath Nick's feet is slick with the Supers life blood. A Super, slightly larger than the others, enters the compound and lets out a fearsome bellow. It throws itself forward with something clutched to its chest. The mutant dies before it reaches the bottom of the stairs, but the grenades it had been holding in its hands roll the rest of the way. "Down!" is all Nick manages to shout before the grenades detonate!

The force tosses him against the wall like a ragdoll. Something inside of him shatters and pain flairs through his back. His vision swims and all he can hear is a dull ringing sound in his ears. He shakes his head, disoriented and unable to see clearly. The floor beneath him seems to rumble and massive shapes bear down on him. He blinks, and can just make out the form of the Supers barreling down the stairs towards him. He has no time to think about the others as he lifts his assault rifle and holds down the trigger. Hot lead sprays out from the muzzle, slamming into the Supers and bringing down the first few. Then his weapon clicks as it runs of out ammo.

A powerful hand grabs him and lifts him up into the air. He comes face to face with the gruesome mug of a Supermutant. The mutants hot breath hits his face and the rancid smell almost overwhelms him. The milky white eyes bore into his and the mutant growls before slamming him against the wall. Again pain flares through him, but with it comes a rush of adrenaline. He reaches out and digs his fingers into the Super's eyes, gorging them out. He kicks and struggles as the Mutant howls in pain and attempts to crush him with its huge arms.

Suddenly the mutants arms fly apart in a gory mess of blood and muscle. Soon after the arms the torso also is shredded. Nick falls to the floor and covers his head as two figures pass by him. He recognizes Tyler and Brick. The two are laying into the Supers with their mini-guns. Somehow Nick manages to get to his feet and find his assault rifle. Reloading he adds his rounds to the torrent. The mutants are pushed back, unable to advance beneath the rain of bullets. Nick follows close behind Tyler and Brick as they step out into the courtyard, providing them with covering fire. The remaining mutants are quickly mopped up, no match for the barrage.

Luther appears beside Nick and grabs his shoulders, shaking him like a child. Nick breaks free and glares at Luther, unsure what that was about. He sees Luther's mouth move, but doesn't hear any words. The he realizes that he can't hear anything. Luther again tries to say something, but all Nick can do is stare at him blankly. Finally Luther motions at his ears and Nick shakes his head. Luther nods and leads him back into the compound. As the descend into the base, it is impossible not to notice the sheer amount of destruction wrought. The walls are riddled with bullet marks, Supers lie all about in various states of shredded gore, and blood covers literally every other surface.

Luther sits Nick down on a cot in the same barracks where he left Reilly. Looking to the bed where he had placed her, he is alarmed to see that she is missing. He points at the empty cot and Luther just nods, indicating that he knows. Allowing Luther to turn his head and preform some sort of test, Nick sits quietly and waits. He watches as Luther jabs him with a stimpacka and wraps some bandages around his chest. Funny, he didn't feel any pain in his chest, why is that? He chances looking down, and wishes he hadn't. A large flap of his flesh is hanging loosely from his side. He can see the muscle and tendons underneath. Strangely enough, there isn't as much blood as there should be. Realizing that the adrenaline rushing through his is likely the only reason, he prompts Luther to hurry the fuck up with the bandaging.

Even as his side slowly disappears beneath the white strips of cloth, he can feel the pain starting to make itself know. Blood is starting to gush from the wound and he is having trouble staying awake. His vision darkens for a horrifying moment and in his fear that he is dying he starts to panic. He has endured a lot, the scars on his back from all the lashings are testament to that, the difference is that he can now feel this. In the Pitt, he was in a numb state of mind, pain didn't matter or register in his brain. This however, this fucking hurts! He curses a lot, but he can only half hear it, like the sound is muffled or coming from a long ways away.

Finally Luther finishes with the bandages and jabs him with a second stimpack. It is only then that Nick notices the bloody bandages around Luther's fingers and the awkward way he is holding his hands. Without preamble his hands lash out and clamp down around Luther's wrists. The merc attempts to jerk his arms back, but Nick holds fast, his own pain not gone but pushed aside for the moment. He turns Luther's hands over a few times, examining each finger. The joints are swollen badly and the skin is a dark shad of purple. On his right hand, the pinky and ring finger look completely destroyed, not to mention likely broken. He has no idea what may have happened to cause this sort of damage to Luther's hands, but Nick is sure of one thing. Luther is going to have to loose some fingers.

Nick looks up at the merc and can see the Luther already knows this. Without any spoken permission they switch places and Luther sets both his hand down on a table for Nick to examine. Gingerly unwrapping the bandages from Luther's hands, Nick grimaces at the gouges beneath. Something dug into Luther's hands with some serious wight and cutting power. He grabs the medkit from the wall and opens it up, taking out a needle and some fine thread. He expertly sews up the open wounds, making sure they are properly closed, before moving on to the fingers. On the left hand, he pops the index finger back into joint and splints it along wit the middle and ring finger. The pinky isn't damaged enough to worry with right now. There will likely be some permanent nerve damage, but he should be able to still use his hand.

The right hand, however, proves to be much more seriously damaged. On this hand, the pinky just has to go. There is no way around it, the bone isn't just broken, it is shattered. Next to it the ring finger looks just as bad, but perhaps some of it can be salvaged. He gives Luther some Med-x and takes out the bonesaw. He quickly cuts off the pinky, down to the first joint. Then he does the same to the ring finger. Next he cleans the nubs and bandages them, careful to avoid doing any further damage. Finally he splints the other two fingers and wraps the palm with fresh bandages. Luther says something, and it takes Nick a second to hear that he is saying, "Thanks." Nick nods and thanks him in turn.

It is then that Reilly storms into the room. She zeroes in on Luther right away and marches towards him. Nick quickly stands and draws his pistol, but the motion sends a jolt of pain up his spine. He sits back down heavily, but keeps his gun aimed. Reilly notices him, but dismisses his gun with a wave of her hand as she starts yelling at Luther. Nick can only make out half of what they are saying, but it seems the argument is getting nowhere. They keep up like that until the others finally arrive, attracted by the shouting no doubt. Nick is slightly surprised when Butcher is the one who runs in and grabs Reilly, seeming to support Luther.

After a few more tense seconds, Reilly deflates and sinks into Butchers arms. The gruff man gently rubs her back and helps her to a cot where she shits and shakes. Nick isn't sure exactly what all the backstory is between the Rangers and Luther, but he can tell it is something serious. Not just from the way Reilly is reacting to Luther, but also from the pained expression on Luther's face. The other two rangers move to comfort their leader. Tyler Charon and Dogmeat join Luther and Nick at their cot. Charon stands off to the side with his arms crossed and doesn't say anything. Tyler examines Luther's hands, shaking his head as he does so, and Dogmeat jumps up onto the cot and curls up against Nick's side. Nick runs his hands over the dog's thick fur.

Tired. That is the only way to describe the people before him. Reilly, the Rangers, Luther and Tyler, Dogmeat, hell even Charon looks put out by all the violence. At least, at least it is over. The Rangers are safe, Luther and Reilly didn't kill each other, and now they can move on. The idea of picking up the trail of his father strikes him as odd. He isn't even all that sure he wants to find his father any more. He is half ready to leave the man out the wastes to rot.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Tyler wakes up from anther dream about his exile and mutters a few choice curses under his breath. He is getting real sick of reliving those memories over and over each night. For years he had been fine, not problem sleeping, no memories, nothing but gentle drug induced bliss. Maybe that is the problem, ever since the Underworld when Doc Barrows patched him up and informed him he was transforming into a ghoul, he hadn't had his usual fix, just some of the Med-x prescribed. At this point, anything else would be welcome, even that crappy stuff raiders get hooked on. Then again, maybe now is a good time to go dry. No, those dreams are too annoying to risk right now. He can go dry later, much later.

He sits up and runs a hand over his head. Looking down, he groans as he sees clumps of hair clinging to his hand. He growls and shakes the strands off, still not sure how to go about telling Luther about his ghoulification. Sure Nick and Quinn took it well, but Quinn is a ghoul and Nick was never exposed to all the bigotry of the world. Luther on the other hand, Luther has very strict ideas about what makes a person a person. Sure, he is willing to work for the ghouls of Underworld, but he never had to like them. With both of them ghouls have been nothing more than another means of earning caps. He wonders just how well his partner will take the news. Right now though, maybe it isn't the right time.

After their flight from the hotel and the battle in the compound, Luther and Reilly had it out. If it wasn't for Butcher intervening on Luther's behalf, no one would have been surprised if Reilly killed him. As it is, they sat in Reilly's office and talked for a long time. Tyler had waited outside the door the whole time, ready to charge in and help if things became violent. He never has been the talking sort, but whatever was said seemed to have helped both Reilly and Luther. When they came out they had relieved looks on their faces, though they are still avoiding each other. If he had been the one with the problem, he would have just growled and maybe shot up the place.

A chuckle escapes him as he thinks about how much he has changed. A few years ago he would have tried to resolve all the world's conflicts with words and a smile, now he just wants to get paid and get his next high. Sarah would be disappointed. No, she is disappointed. She said so back at GNR. Seeing her that day, it had been difficult for him. She was mad, of course she was mad, she had every right to be. There she was, in the middle of a fire fight, and suddenly her asshole brother is there causing trouble. He sighs, that is the one thing he regrets about his exile. The changes in him, his addiction, his anger, none of those compare to how bad he feels about hurting Sarah.

When they were younger, she always looked up to him. At first he was the typical mean older brother who took advantage of his little sisters adoration to get her into trouble. Then he started training for combat at age ten and his outlook changed. He started teaching her the things he was learning, that way she would do well when it came time for her initiation. They did everything together. They still caused a lot of trouble, but they were smarter about it. She was so idealistic. She had dreams of saving the whole world, much like he once did. She was the perfect soldier. She was skilled, disciplined, followed orders to the letter and believed in the cause. He on the other hand, was disobedient, rebellious, and was more likely to do his own thing.

He gives a shake of his head and walks into the barracks. The Rangers, Brick, Donovan, and Butcher are there already eating a light breakfast. With them is Nick and that dog of his. Charon is right behind Nick, arms crossed and a scowl on his face as he watches the proceedings. At the moment, Nick is arm wrestling Donovan, and beating him. Tyler is happy to see Nick engaging with others. After they returned from the Pit the kid had been acting strangely, always angry and ready to kill, even more so than he was himself. Tyler knows that he can never understand what the kid went though in that place, but at least he seems to be recovering. That said, the kid is far from the same person he was. Looking at him now, he can easily see that his face has lost its baby fat, his body is more toned, and his eyes are harder. These are all good, it means that he will be able to make it on his own if he has to.

Tyler sits down at the table just as Nick finishes off Donovan. The Ranger grumbles something about having injured his arm while they were pinned on the hotel but the others laugh it off. He also notices that Brick is giving Nick a seductive look, or well, as seductive as the she could manage. However if Nick notices he gives no indication of it. Butcher pushes some of the breakfast towards him and he nods in gratitude. He likes the Rangers, they are a tough bunch. Plus they still have some morals, which automatically makes them better than other merc groups out there as far as he is concerned.

"Hey, Tyler," Nick says as he shoves some food into his mouth, "when are we going to get moving again? We sit around here for much longer and we are all going to get fat and lazy."

The kid is in a good mood. "Soon, probably today. I figure we are going to head back to GNR to pick up Clover and Bryan before setting off for Rivet City. Should take us about three days on the surface. We could take the metro's but after what happened last time I don't really feel like risking it." Nick nods and keeps shoveling food in to his mouth.

"You're headed to Rivet City?" Butcher asks. Tyler nods. "It isn't any of my business really, but why?"

Tyler looks at Nick. The kid has stopped eating and his face has darkened. "My Father." His tone is low and hard to read. "We have been searching for him. This is the third time we have been sidetracked. At this point, he is very likely to be dead." The kid's face brightens a little, "That, and we hope to find the family of a boy named Bryan Wilks. Found him in what was left of Greyditch. His father was already dead. Promised to help him out. He is with a friend of ours back at GNR."

"Well," Brick smiles, "aren't you lot just a bunch of saints?"

Butcher gives him a pointed look. "I wouldn't call them that."

Tyler does not take the bait. "You would be right."

Behind them the door opens and in walks Luther. His partner's emotions are carefully hidden behind a calm mask. Despite that, Tyler automatically knows something has happened. "Time to go." His gaze focuses on Nick. "Gather your gear, we are leaving, now." Before anyone can ask any questions Luther turns and walks out.

Tyler grunts and stands up. "Well, it has been nice, sort of. Brick, thanks for letting me keep that gun of yours. I promise to take good car of her." They all say their farewells and Nick stands to leave. Charon and the dog follow them out. They find Luther waiting by the exit. "Let me guess," Tyler grumbles as he approaches, "you did something to offend Reilly, right?"

Luther just rolls his eyes and steps outside. Nick looks at Tyler with a confused expression, he just shrugs his shoulders. "Kid, you should know by now that between the two of us, someone is always offended by something we do."

* * *

They head back towards GNR. Nick suggested stopping at Underworld to resupply, but Luther insisted on pushing ahead. Honestly, the man has been acting strangely here recently, ever since his hands got hurt. Or maybe it was that explosive with the Nuka Quantum. Who knows, either way the two of them need to have a chat. Luckily, they didn't encounter any ghouls on their way back. As they got closer, Tyler started worrying about Sarah again. She was in a rather upset state when they left a few days ago. He wonders if she is still at GNR, of she and the Pride have been called back for some other mission. She never was good at staying in one place for too long. Always looking for something to do.

The knights on duty outside the radio building recognize them and let them inside without any trouble. Almost as soon as they are inside there is a squeal of happiness and something bright pink leaps at him. Clover lands in his arms and snuggles her face against his neck, giggling as his beard tickles her face. "Hey lover," she coos, "did ya miss me? I missed you. I missed you soooo much."

He releases her and lets her fuss over him for a few seconds. Honestly, this woman is crazy. Sure, he knew she was wacko when he worked for Paradise, and he knew she was missing a few screws when she joined up with them, but her doting has moved her from a little off all the way to insane in his books. He is about to tell her off, but then she bends over to mess with his boot straps. The view is nice. Very nice. Okay, so she is a insane, but damn, what a body! "Yeah baby," he finally speaks, "I missed you too."

Over Clover's shoulder, he spots Nick awkwardly patting Bryan on the back as the boy hugs his legs. Nick has a bewildered expression on his face, but it slowly turns into a small amount of reserved affection. Tyler notes that Nick looks around to make sure no one is watching before returning Bryan's hug. Tyler hopes that Nick doesn't get too attached to the boy. Having a dog and a ghoul manservant following him around is one thing, but a child is something totally different. Keeping someone that small and vulnerable safe in the wasteland is almost impossible, it is why so few children are around. Anyone who is born is in a city or settlement is often protected by all the locals. Those out in the wastes, they are destined for misfortune.

Breaking away from Clover, he searches for Luther. He is slightly alarmed when he doesn't find him right away. His partner's attitude during their trip back was reserved at best, furious at worst. Tyler still isn't sure what set the man off, but he intends to find out. Eventually he spots Luther coming back downstairs from where Three Dog usually resides. Tyler intercepts him. "We need to talk." His tone leaves no room for argument. He leads Luther outside where they sand out of earshot of anyone on guard duty. "What they hell is your problem?"

Luther glares at him. Tyler as seen many people fall apart under similar glares, but it only further proves to him that something is wrong. "I don't see how my affairs are any of your concern."

"They are when they get in the way of our job." Tyler growls back.

"Our job?" Luther almost spits. "Just what is our job right now Tyler? We have been escorting this vaultie all across the wasteland for months now! What have we gotten out of it? I will tell you what, nothing! Nothing but pain and anger! We started with good intentions, but what has that done for us? The kid needed us when he first showed up, that I know and understand. He needed us when he was taken tot the Pit. That I also understand! Now tell me why we need to keep following him around when he doesn't even know if he wants to find his Dad alive any more! Tell me why he needs us!"

Tyler can't quit believe what he is hearing. "You want us to leave him? You want us to leave the kid on his own? Did he take out part of your brain when he cut off your fingers? Or is that what this is all about? Come on, if he hadn't cut them off you would have and you know it!"

"Damn it Tyler," Luther shouts, "don't you get it? he doesn't need us anymore! We are not getting anything out of following him around now. We already have the satisfaction of knowing that he can handle himself and won't die of his own fucking stupidity! That is the reason I stuck with him. He has people now, friends! I wanted to help him because he was alone! He isn't any more!"

The real reason for Luther's anger suddenly becomes clear. "You're jealous? You envy the fact that he has friends?" At his words all the fight seems to leak out of Luther. He slumps against the building and slides down to the ground where he shakes his head and looks at the nubs of his missing fingers. Tyler sighs, "Listen, Luther, the kid can handle himself now, you are right about that, but I think he still needs us. Think about it, his own fucking Father walked out on him. How would it look if we did the same now?"

Luther looks up at him. "And here everyone thinks you are a thoughtless brute." He heaves a sigh and stands. "I know, I know that he needs us. I just... What is going to happen when he doesn't any more? Have you thought about that? When this is all over, what will we do? Go back to being angry mercs who take any and all jobs that come their way? I don't think so. No matter how much we try to deny it, having the kid around has changed us. He is fixing things. Our pasts are catching up to us. I am worried that is all. He knows about you and the Brotherhood, he doesn't know it all, but he knows. What should I tell him about me?"

Tyler considers. It had taken a lot of coaxing for him to get Luther to open up to him, and a lot of beers. Even now he isn't sure how he feels about Luther's past. He knows his partner has been though a lot, and is worse off because of it. "I think, that if he asks, you should tell him the basics. No need to give him details. If he doesn't ask, then just don't ever mention it. I think he knows that we both have our secrets and that he respects that."

Luther sighs and stands back up. "Right, you are right. Let's just drop it shall we? Pretend this conversation never happened."

Tyler shakes his head. "No, I know you too well for that. I want to know what really brought all this on. Something other than the kid has caused this, what?"

Luther groans and looks up at the sky. "It was Reilly..."

"I knew it."

"Let me finish. After we talked in her office that first time, she asked me to speak privately again. She wanted to know what my intentions with Nick where, what I was doing babysitting him. She said that I should get away from him. She likes him, he must have done something that impressed her. She suggested letting him stay with the Rangers. I got mad, hell it was mostly because of all that had happened and all the bottled up stress between us. We fought, and that is when we left. On the way here, I couldn't get her words out of my head. I decided to try and get you to agree to leaving, I didn't realize the rest of what I was feeling until you called me out on it."

"It is what I do, keeping your stupid ass in line is a full time occupation."

"Nick once asked me how you and I got alone, what with all the arguing we do." Luther says with a small smile.

"What did you tell him?"

"The truth, that we don't get along. We just tolerate each other."

Tyler nods, "Ain't that the truth. Come on, he has to be itching to get moving now that we have a destination and Three Dog has come through with his info."


	20. Chapter 20

**Heyo everybody! Wow, Fallout 4 is just, wow. If you have not played it yet I highly suggest doing so as soon as possible. Completely worth it. Now then, lets get going with some new stuff shall we? I got asked about Luther's sort of sudden breakdown last chapter and more on that will be explained in Dusty Old Stories. The actual conversations with Reilly will be addressed there. Now then, just as a heads up, there will be some more OC's added in here very soon. Hope you all enjoy!**

Chapter 20

Luther finds himself glaring at the two stubs on his right hand. They left from GNR headed towards Rivet City two days ago, they should be arriving later that afternoon. At present they have stopped to eat a light lunch. Their movement has been slowed by injuries from that fight with the Supers and rejoining with Clover and the boy Bryan. Luther still isn't totally sold on the the woman, she seems loyal to Tyler, but she did just decide to kill her last man, which causes him to question her sanity. Shit, he thinks, who the hell do I think I am to be questioning the sanity of someone else? The nub that used to be his pinky twitches as he closes his hand into a fist, sort of.

He has no recollection of being hit on the head by anything, or receiving any serious head damage, yet he must have done something, where else would the voice be coming from? It first showed up after Nick removed his fingers and Reilly stormed in to demand answers from him. During their, conversation, a voice in his head whispered for him to just kill her and be done with it. It was so unexpected that he completely missed most of what Reilly shouted at him. Then it wouldn't leave him alone, always trying to make him doubt himself. A scowl appears on his face from the way it made him act a few days ago when speaking with Tyler outside GNR. That was not him, not at all.

 _Oh come off it. You know you are messed up. You always have been. Me? I'm just life given to that which you have tried to deny._

Shut up! Luther roars inside his own head. The voice, it just won't fuck off. It just has to be him didn't it? No one else has to deal with sanity issues around here, except that bitch Clover.

 _Clover, now there is a hot dame. Let me tell you what brother, you should try to hit that. I know you want to. How long has it been anyways? Since she died? Have you even been with a woman since then? Of course you haven't, you are still trying to stay true to a dead woman aren't you? Seriously brother? You need to lighten up a bit. You are going to get both of us killed._

I said, shut the fucking hell up! Luther shakes his head and looks to where Charon is taking a sip from the small canteen he carries everywhere with him. Luther finds himself licking his lips. A drink, that would probably shut up this fucking psychopath. No damn it, I can't go back to that, not again. Consumed with his thoughts he almost doesn't notice when the group picks up and starts heading out. Scrambling to catch up, he draws level with Tyler and walks beside him in silence. He notices that his partner keeps shooting glances at him out of the corner of his eyes. "Something on your mind?" he asks curtly.

Tyler nods his head. "Yeah, there is something I need to level with you about."

Great, Luther thinks, here comes another argument. "What?"

Tyler sighs and rubs his neck. "Well, you remember that storm we were caught in on our way back from the Pit with Nick. How my gas mask got shattered and we needed to get to Megaton to get me all fixed up?"

This, was not what Luther was expecting to be talking about. "Yeah, I remember, why bring it up now? Do you owe someone caps for the treatment?"

"What, no. Um, actually, it may be worse than that." Tyler lapses into a short silence as he gathers his thoughts. "Okay, on the level, how exactly do you feel about ghouls? I know you think of a lot of others as degenerates, but what about ghouls?"

Okay, something is off. "You are not making a lot of sense right now Tyler. If you need to say something then just fucking spit it out. You've never been one to beat around the bush before."

"Fuck I know." Tyler reaches up to run a hand over his head, but stops short. "Okay, here it is. When I passed out in that museum and you guys carried me to Underworld. Doc Barrows diagnosed me. He said I am suffering from ghoulification. In short, I am slowly becoming a ghoul." Luther gives no reaction, but his mind is working at a hundred miles an hour. Tyler seems to take his silence for offense. "Look damn it! I didn't choose this alright! The radiation got into my lungs and Doc Church missed it. If you blame anyone it should be him. I am still me after all, I just might start loosing some of my skin and hair, actually, I am already loosing my hair."

Luther is silent for a long time, thinking. If Tyler is becoming a ghoul, that could cause a lot of problems. Ghouls are not generally accepted in most settlements due to the offensive nature of how they look like walking corpses. In the past, Luther operated with strict kill all ghouls ideal. Then he slowly came to realize that not all ghouls are bloodthirsty ferals. That still does not make them human. He has worked with ghouls, such as Quinn and the settlers of Underworld, but he never stopped to think about whether or not he likes them. He looks at Tyler, "As long as you do not go feral on me, I don't really care what you look like."

Tyler seems relieved by this. "Good, was worried we would have to kill each other in front of the boy."

"Nick could handle seeing that."

Tyler shakes his head, "I meant Bryan. Nick isn't a boy any more."

Luther looks ahead of them where Nick is walking with Bryan and that dog of his. Even from this short distance, Luther has to admit that Nick does indeed no longer look like the lost kid that stumbled out of the vault however long ago it was. His armor is patched and worn, even the newer stuff the rangers gave him is pocked with scars from bullets. The nice leather jacket he wears beneath his armor is dirty and worn, the patch of the snake on the back almost unrecognizable now. Strange, Luther had barely noticed the changes. "So it is."

As the day wears on and they near Rivet City, both Nick and Bryan start getting antsy. When the wind shifts and Luther catches whiff of something foul, it takes a good bit of persuasion to convince them to hang back and let him scout ahead. Keeping low to the ground, he moves forward through the rubble like a ghost, making his way up to higher ground. As he reaches the top of a particularly large mound of rubble, he comes into view of a fortified camp. Mulling about are around six heavily armed and armored Supermutants. Standing watch above the six is another, this one toting a mini-gun. Tied up at the Mutie's feet is a woman. "Shit." he curses under his breath.

 _Look at all them Muties, this will be a damn good fight, all out in the open, no way for you to get close without them noticing. What are you going to do, charge in there and hope that one with the mini-gun doesn't shred you? Please, that will never work._

Fuck, he may be crazy, but he makes sense. There is no way they would be able to assault that fort without getting torn to shreds. Looking further up the road he realizes that the can't even go around the camp as it is set up to close to the Potomic river basin. They are going to have to fight, but how? He could stay where he is, provide cover fire while the others move up, but that would only work if all the Muties focus on him. The Mutie with the mini-gun is the main threat. How to deal with that bastard?

 _Look at its gun._

Shut up.

 _No, look, what type of gun is it?_

It is a fucking mini-gun. I already know that.

 _And what type of gun does your now ghoul friend just happen to have gotten from the Rangers?_

Without stopping to consider any other options, Luther returns to the others. "Muties," he growls as he gets within sight. "Set up right in our path. There is no way around them. They have a sentry set up with a mini-gun, making it impossible for us to assault from the front of their fort. Tyler, take your mini-gun and follow me. We will provide cover for the others long enough for them to get in close and deal with the other Muties. Nick, Charon, I want you two to stay as low as possible and wait until we have those bastards full attention before moving up. Don't attack until you can smell their fucking sweat. Clover, you should stay here with Bryan in case we don't make it. Take him the long way round if we all end up minced."

Without argument the group splits up. Tyler follows him back up to the ridge. "Here," he mutters, "lie low until the others are in position." It only takes a few seconds for Charon and Nick to appear below them, hiding behind an overturned car husk. Nick waves to them and Luther gives a short nod to Tyler. Together they stand and open fire. Right away the rounds from Tyler's mini-gun tear into the Supers, dropping one. Luther expertly works the bolt action of his rifle, dropping two more. The hail of rounds forces the Muties to drop behind cover, giving Charon and Nick the chance they need to move up.

Luther's eyes follow Nick as he fearlessly charges a Mutie. His dog leaps forward and clamps its jaws down on the brute's arm and somehow Nick wrestles the thing to the ground and dispatches it with a quick thrust of his knife. Charon gets in close and shoves his combat shotgun under the chin of another Mutie and blows a hole through its skull. Now the Mutie with the mini-gun is returning fire as it aims up at Luther and Tyler. They both drop to the ground and Luther attempts to put a round through the ugly bastards head, but just barely misses, tearing open the Mutie's cheek and causing it to jerk back. As the Supermutant reals its mini-gun continues to fire, sending bullets into its fellow Muties and killing another. Now there are only two left, the one with the mini-gun and another that has yet to join the fight.

Luther's gut tightens as he realizes why the other Mutie didn't join the fray right away. Strapped to the things arm is an active mini-nuke! "Suicider!" his voice rings out over the sound of the fighting. Nick looks up just in time to see the Mutie barreling down upon him. Luther is horrified to watch as Nick, instead of running like any sane person would do, charges right into the brute! As the Mutie reaches out to grab Nick, the kid ducks and rolls under its wide reach. When he stands he has a long, slender, scrap of metal. Raising the scrap metal above his head he brings it down and cleaves the Muties arm clean off its body! As the Mutie howls with pain Nick grabs the arm and hurls it up at the Mutie with the mini-gun. Just as the arm lands the mini-nuke detonates, consuming the bastard in its cloud.

Luther works the bolt action of his rifle and dispatches the suicider before it can regain its bearings. "Shit." he hears Tyler say beside him. "Now that was impressive." Luther nods in agreement, that was badass. Carefully he and Tyler pick their way down the rise to join the others. Luther steps over a Mutie corpse and examines its armor with a shake of his head. "Yeah," Tyler agrees with the unspoken statement, "these bastards were way to well equipped and organized."

"We can figure that out later, we should get moving now, congratulate Nick with a drink when we reach Rivet City." He then sends Charon to get Clover and Bryan. He looks up as he hears angry shouting coming from further within the fort. Worried that one of the Mutants may still be alive, he lifts his rifle and rushes towards the noise. He comes upon Nick attempting to restrain without hurting her while she kicks and scratches at him. "Hey," he shouts as he pulls the woman off Nick, "what the hell is this?"

Now free of Nick, the woman turns her attack upon him. Being not even half as gentlemanly as Nick, Luther pins the woman's arms to her sides and shakes her. "Stop!" the volume of his voice is powerful enough to startle to woman into holding still long enough for Luther to get a better grip on her so as she couldn't break away. This must be the captive he spotted before the attack. He had been so caught up, he must have forgotten about her. "Now," he continues in a commanding voice, "you are going to hold still. As long as you don't try anything you have nothing to fear from us. Understand?" The woman continues to struggle. "Understand!" She nods weakly and her limbs go limp.

She sinks to the ground and Luther carefully helps her down. "That fucking bitch bit me." Nick states in a deadly calm voice. "Fucking waster."

"You touched me." She woman spits back.

"Would you have preferred that I left you tied up for the next bastards to come along? I doubt that they would have been nearly as nice as we are. You would have been rapped, beaten, sold to slavery, or if you were lucky killed." Nick turns on his heal and marches off. Luther stares at the Kid's retreating back. No, he sure as hell isn't a kid any more.


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey world. I realize that I have taken forever to post a new chapter, very sorry about that. Had some trouble with the website and I didn't have good internet access at home over the winter break. Anywhos, here is chapter 21, finally.**

Chapter 21

Rivet City. Nick has never seen anything like it before. Megaton is the only sizable settlement he has been through that wasn't destroyed by giant ants or run by slavers. This place though, wow. A massive aircraft carrier from before the war, washed up on the shore like some sort of dead sea creature. To even get to it a person has to be given access via an extendable bridge that the settles control. No wonder it is a center of trade. He is currently standing in the city market, completely overwhelmed by the buzz of activity. People are everywhere, and there are more of them than Nick has likely ever seen in one place in his entire life. Then there are the vendors, all vying for attention as they sell their goods.

Luther, Tyler, and Clover when to find them a place to stay the night. They asked Nick to buy some supplies for when they set off again. Nick had assumed that their stay here wouldn't be overnight. Deliver Bryan to his family here, find the Doctor who knows about his Father. Looking around now, his sorry Father can wait a little longer, probably dead by now anyway.

Bryan clings to his leg as their group navigates the crowded market. Behind him Charon is grumbling unhappily about how hard it would be to fight in such a crowded area. Dogmeat seems to be the only one having as good a time as Nick is. The dog is running through peoples legs, sniffing and barking at every new sound and scent. Nick was worried that the dog would cause some trouble, but most of the people just ignore him and the shopkeepers only ever send him away when he gets to close. It takes him a few seconds, but eventually Nick spots the gun shop.

He steps through some hanging lights and runs his eyes over the vast selection of weaponry and ammunition on display while Charon hangs back at the door. Looking at the guns, he is far from impressed. Nearly all of the weapons are damaged in some way or form. Just looking at them any asshole would worry about it blowing up in their hands. "Hey there," a man dressed in simple leathers greats, "the name is Flak. Welcome to Flak and Shrapnel's. Tell me what you are looking for. We got it all. Guns, ammo, armor, name it and we can provide."

Nick snorts, "This stuff is shit. Most of them should be at the bottom of a garbage heap."

The man gives Nick a new look of appreciation. "We keep the actual merchandise locked up. Only a fool displays their best. Now, what do you need?" Nick takes a quick inventory of all the weapons their group carries, rattling off the bullet calibers and how much they need. While Flak collects the ammo, Nick takes a look at the selection of weapon mods displayed next to a work bench. "Feel free to use the bench if you like, free of charge. Any mods you attache will cost you though." Nick takes his assault rifle off his shoulder and sets it down on the bench. The gun has served him well and was in damn good condition when he picked it up, but it sure as hell needs a good cleaning.

While he works on his gun, he notices that Bryan is picking up lots of different pistols. The boy seems to be trying to judge how much each of the guns weighs and if he would be able to handle it. "Looking to buy a gun boy?" Nick's voice is harsher than he intended and it surprises both him and Bryan, who quickly replaces the pistol he was holding.

"Um," he mumbles, "I thought it might be a good idea to know how to use one." Nick steps away from the bench and kneels down in front of the boy. He picks up one of the smaller guns and puts it in Bryan's hand. Then he instructs the boy in how to properly aim and how to pull the trigger. Then he shows him where the safety is, mostly because he is worried the boy will hurt himself.

"There," Nick says in a low voice, pointing to a can sitting up on a railing, "aim at that." The boy lifts the gun, just like Nick showed him and aims. the gun gives a loud click and Nick shouts, "BOOM!" in the boy's ear, making him jump and then laugh loudly. Its the first time Nick as seen the little tyke smile. He resists it, but eventually the boy's infectious laughter gets the better of him and he starts laughing too. Maybe it was just Nick's imagination, but he thinks he sees Charon crack a small smile as well. "All right," Nick manages to say after he stops laughing, "now you know how to shoot."

"Not bad," Flak states as he sets down several containers of ammo, "for a little shit."

Nick's entire mood shifts in about half a second. The smile vanishes from his face and the laughter in his eyes turns to hard steel. "Call him that again, and you will not live to regret it." Flak has dealt with a lot of crazies in his day and he has seen a lot of shit. He does not scare easy. Yet the sudden shift in this man and the absolute sincerity in his voice causes the old weapons dealer to shudder. "How much?" Nick demands.

Flak has already calculated the costs in his head. "Thee hundred and forty-six caps all together."

Nick's face hardens, "One hundred."

Flak sneers, "Please, don't insult me. I will drop down to just three hundred, no less."

Nick takes a step towards Flak and the merchant is suddenly aware of the stench of blood clinging to the man. Not that the smell of death isn't on everyone, but with this man, its is as though he has bathed in blood. "Two hundred."

Flak swallows past the lump in his throat and weighs his options. The man standing there does have a child with him, but does not seem to be a major concern for him, so he either does not care what happens to the boy, or he is so confident in his skills that he doesn't need to worry. Then there is the massive ghoul bodyguard who just stepped into the shop with its combat shotgun already in its hands. Flak grinds his teeth in frustration, then finally, "Deal."

"I am so glad my associate didn't have to blow your head off Flak," Everyone turns to see Luther and Tyler step into the shop. Flak is suddenly very glad he took the deal. No one messes with those two, no one. "Come on Nick, you to Bryan, there is someone you should really meet."

* * *

Tyler stands outside the Weatherly hotel while the others go in to speak with Vera Weatherly about Bryan living with her. When Luther and he mentioned that they were staying with a small boy from Greyditch the woman all but pounced on them and demanded to see the boy. From the sound of things inside the hotel, it is going well. Getting the boy to a safe place feels good, not to mention it will mean one less distraction while on the road. While Tyler is standing there, smoking a cig he just bought in the market, the captain of Rivet Cities guard, Harkness, walks up. "Tyler." he greats.

"Harkness. Have any more trouble with that Pinkerton fella?" A few years ago he and Luther helped the guard captain with a problem. Turns out the man is actually a robot built by a mysterious group calling itself the Institute. Somehow Harkness, one of the Institutes soldiers, escaped and rewrote his memory. The Institute sent a man by the name of Pinkerton to find him. Pinkerton had hired Luther and Tyler to find his missing property, when they discovered that it was Harkness however, they decided to tell him instead of turn him in. They helped Harkness kill Pinkerton and ever since have kept an ear to the ground for any news on the Institute for him.

"Actually I wanted to talk to you about that." Harkness indicates a different room and Tyler follows him inside. The guard captain then closes and locks the door. "I don't know who to trust. I have been hearing rumblings that the Institute is up to something big. Seems there is some sort of war going on in the Commonwealth. A group calling themselves the Minutemen are fighting a merc band known as the Gunners. I don't know all the details, but from what I have learned, the Institute most likely has a hand in the conflict. It could be they are trying to destroy the major powers before the launch some sort of attack of their own. I just thought I should let you know, seeing how you helped me."

Tyler shrugs his shoulders. "Honestly, Harkness, as far as I care the Commonwealth can fuck itself to death. Right now we here in the Capital have our own problems. The Supermutants are getting bolder. We encountered a well equipped group before we even got here. They were blocking the main rout, likely planning to cut off trade and bleed you dry before invading. Lucky we put a stop to them. They had a hostage, some girl who calls herself Renee. Brought her here with us, haven't seen her since."

Harkness takes all this in silence. The captain starts pacing and fiddling with the plasma rifle he always carries with him. "This is seriously bad news. I had thought the traders were just late or detained, I never stopped to consider that they were unable to reach us. Thanks for the warning, we will be more careful in the future." With that Harkness leaves the room. Tyler shakes his head. That man, robot, whatever he is, he has always been very abrupt. Tyler returns to their room in the hotel and sits down on a bench. Luther is dismantling and cleaning his rifle, Charon is standing with his arms crossed in the corner, Clover is passed on a cot, that mutt of a dog is sniffing everything in the room, and there is no sign of Nick. "Where is Nick?"

Luther waves a hand towards a closed door at the back of the room. "He found out there was running water and all but tripped over himself calling dibs on the first shower. Been in there for a while now." As if on cue Nick steps out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a ratty towel.

"Hey kid," Tyler growls, "you had better not have used all the hot water."

Nick flashes him a devious smile, "If I did nothing you can do about it now." Nick then walks over and pulls some clothes from his bag. "I just could not believe they have running water. I mean, seriously, who has running water? The places with running water in Megaton were the bars and their water was disgusting."

Tyler smiles despite himself. Seems everyone is in a much better mood than they were out on the road. "Don't get to used to the soft living kid, I recon we still have a lot of road ahead of us. Spoken to that Doctor yet?"

Nick shoots him a confused expression. "Doctor? Why the hell would I have to see a Doctor? I'm not hurt or anything."

Tyler stares at the kid, dumbfounded. "Doctor Li, the bitch who knows about your father? The main fucking reason we have been dragging our asses across the whole fucking Capital since forever now?"

Nick's face grows serious and Tyler can already feel the anger brewing inside himself. Somehow, he knows what the kid is going to say. "Honestly," Nick starts, "I don't even know If I really care about finding him any more. If I am being realistic, he is probably dead by now anyway."

The silence in the room is deafening. Everyone is staring at Nick, and all of them are staring angrily. "I cannot believe what I am hearing," Tyler growls, barely keeping his anger in check, "you have led us on this fucking man hunt and now you say you don't even care to find him? Why you little..." Before anyone can react Tyler has crossed the room and slammed a fist into Nick's face. "Fuck you kid!"

"Tyler!" Luther shouts, jumping to his feet.

"No," Tyler roars back, "I will have my say! We have fought, bleed, been shot, lost valuable work time, and all for what? Some fucking guy I have never met but who my entire life has been centered around for almost the past year! All because this fucking idiot of a kid wanted to find his daddy! Now he says, 'I don't care'! Well fuck you kid! You had better well start caring because we are going to find your dad now, if you want to or not! I will not have wasted all this time in vain!"

Nick stares up at him from the floor, clutching a quickly darkening bruise under his eye. "It is my decision." Nick states in a flat tone.

"No," this time it is Luther turning on the kid, "you made it our business when you got us involved, we all have a say in this now. You need to find your Father, even if he is dead. You need that closure. Can you honestly say you will not think about it every day for the rest of your life if you do not find him?"

Nick fixes Luther and Tyler with a level gaze. "I don't give a fuck."

Tyler can tell that he is about to snap, so he does the smart thing. Turning on his heal he marches out of the room without a word, seconds from tearing Nick's stupid little head off of his shoulders. Out in the hall all the settlers avoid him once they see the raging fury in his eyes. somehow he ends up outside on the ship's watch tower. The wind is blowing hard and the sun is setting. He is fuming and pacing back and forth on the small platform, his eyes glued to the ground at his feet as he attempts to calm down.

At some point an old man joins him on the tower and just stands there silently as Tyler paces. After however long, Tyler's furious energy is spent and he collapses against the guard rail. The old man walks up and stands beside him, looking out at the distance. "You ever have to deal with shitty young people?" The old man asks.

Tyler is actually surprised the man is talking to him, must take some balls with how angry he looks. "You have no fucking idea. You try and do right by them, knowing that you are a shit example of how to lead your life, then you end up angry with them when they start acting like you." Saying out loud, Tyler realizes that is exactly why he was so furious with Nick. Giving up on someone who is likely dead already because you honestly never cared about them in the first place is just the sort of thing he would do. Big change from the Brotherhood knight who would was wiling to sacrifice himself to save just on soldier.

"I understand," the old man says in a trembling voice, "what can you do for them?"

Tyler thinks for a long time before answering. "Truthfully, it would be best if we weren't even in the picture any more."

The old man gives a sigh. "I thought as much. Thanks for talking with me."

"Any time." Tyler grumbles, lowering his head and closing his eyes to think for a second. The sound of a splash causes him to jump to his feet and look around frantically, the old man is gone. He leans over the railing and can see only the barest ripple of water below. "Well, shit."


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey guys, important chapter here, lot of ground covered, lot of hints as to what is coming later, juicy all the way through I hope. Enjoy!**

Chapter 22

Jane sits down heavily at the bar and orders a whisky. Her luck has been shit ever since crossing the point where she decided she was in the east. Courier work pays well, but damn if it isn't going to get her shot in the head some day. At present, she is in care of a package bound for the Commonwealth further north. Weeks ago she decided to lessen her trip by coming straight to this area, the Capital Wasteland as the locals call it, and hopefully finding a barge or something to take her up the coast via the sea. Good idea really, except that the only barge operating in the entire area is run by some crazy bitch named Nadine and she only sails as far as some dump called Point Lookout.

Then, to make matter worse, a group of mercenaries know as Talon Company somehow got word that a courier from the west was about and carrying an important package. That radio jockey, Three Dog, was right, they are not the polite type when it comes to getting what they want. She easily dispatched the first group to come after her, but ever since they seem to just show up out of nowhere, and often at the most inconvenient times. They pinned her down at the back of a metro tunnel and for days she fought trough the dark warrens and paths, desperately searching for an escape.

When she finally did managed to find her way out, after about three days, she was immediately picked up by Supermutants and hauled off to one of their camps where they planned on eating her. Fortunately for her, some mercenaries escorting a kid to the nearby settlement of Rivet City showed up and took out the mutants for her. At the time, she was way to overwhelmed to be thankful, and she may have even attacked the guy who set her loose, but looking back now, she realizes that was likely a huge mistake. There were only four of them, plus a vicious dog, and yet they managed to desimate the mutants as if it was nothing. She could use a group of guys like that during her trip north.

She is about halfway through her third drink when someone sits down next to her and orders a vodka, straight up. From the corner of her eye she sizes him up and lands on a single conclusion, this bastard is a mean bastard. His dirty blond hair is long and ragged, despite looking as though it was recently washed. His face is hollow and his eyes sunk deep, giving him a haunted appearance. He is dressed in sturdy combat armor with a leather jacked underneath... Wait, this is the guy she attacked when he rescued her! Shit, she lowers her face and hopes he doesn't recognize her. He was very pissed when they last spoke, right after she attacked him. Attack. No, against him it would be more like she tried to attack, and he humored her. Please don't let him see her.

"Hey," shit, he even has a scary voice, "I know you."

"Um..."

"You're that girl from the Super's camp. Well, what do you know? Didn't figure you would stick around here very long, not with us being here as well. I thought you couldn't stand the sight of me?"

What? Is that the impression she gave? Okay, so maybe he isn't still pissed off at her. "Yeah, you see, I have been having some money troubles, and back there I said some things, I didn't really say them. I mean, I didn't really mean said. Shit, I mean I didn't really mean them..?"

He lifts a brow, "Is that your idea of an apology?"

"Um, yes..."

"All right then." He turns up the bottle of vodka and swallows down several large gulps, leaving the bottle almost half empty. He doesn't even cough, stutter, or react at all to all the tissue that has to be absolutely screaming in protest from inside his throat after a drink like that, especially straight up. "Something wrong?" he looks at her out of the corner of his eye and she suddenly feels as though she has to explain herself. "I mean, most people don't drink that heavily unless something is wrong. Its why I am drinking so much.

The man chuckles. "Honestly, it is none of your fucking business, but for some reason, I am about to tell all." He proceeds to explain that he is from a nearby vault that never opened after the war, vault 101. He was exiled on pain of death because his Father escaped. He also details all the shit he has been through in his attempt to find his Father. Damn, she though her trip has been bad. Her experience seems like a walk in the park of daises and roses compared to his. "thats um, damn."

"You did ask."

"So are you going to go talk to this Doctor or not?"

he sighs and lowers his head a bit. "Now there is the question of the hour. to talk to her and find out where the old bastard died, or not to and get on with my life?"

Jane tilts her head to the side a little, "How do you know he is dead?"

"Simple, its the Capital Wasteland. Explain to me how someone from a vault could survive this long out here? Even he was born up here on the surface like Moriarty said, he has been in the vault for all of nineteen years, plenty of time for someone to go soft."

Jane scrunches up her face, "Um, I am looking at a damn good reason for why someone like you could survive out here."

The man lifts a brow, as though that hadn't occurred to him. "What, exactly, to you mean by that?"

"Look at yourself, look at where you are, how long you have made it out here, and unlike your Father you had no idea what you were getting into. Yet you have made it this far, who can say good old dad hasn't as well?"

They sit in silence for a few minutes as the man thinks it over. Actually, according to his story, he is only nineteen or twenty. Not much older than her eighteen years of age. he sure doesn't look it though. "You know what," he eventually says, "even if you are wrong, some of what you say makes sense." He turns to her with a small amount of brightness in his eyes. "By the way, what is your name?"

"Jane."

"Just Jane?"

She smiles, "Yup, Just Jane."

He smiles back at her, something she is sure is supposed to be a warm expression, but with his face it is just scary, "Well then, Just Jane, thank you." He stands up and starts towards the exit. Something occurs to her. "Hey," she shouts after him, "what is your name?"

He stops at the top of the stairs to the exit and looks at her over his shoulder, "Nick, Just Nick."

* * *

Nick steps through the door to Rivet Cities science labs and surveys the open area below him. There are tables set up with all sorts of scientific equipment. Some of it Nick recognizes from when his Father started training him in some medicine, the rest of it he doesn't recognize. Four people in white lab coats are milling about, and as far as he can tell, failing to do anything scientific at all. From his elevated position he spots the woman who must be Doctor Li and makes his way over to her.

She is looking through the scopes of a microscope and does not notice his approach. "Doctor Li?"

"If you are here with more of our samples leave them with one of my assistants." she replies with a dismissive gesture and without looking up.

Nick decides suddenly that he has been through too much shit to be willing to deal with being brushed off by some snobby scientist. "MADISON!" He slams his fist into the table, rattling the equipment placed there.

"Jame!" She gasps, jerking back and stumbling over herself when she doesn't recognize Nick, "what... Who are you?"

Upon hearing his Father's name, Nick's anger finally boils over and he suddenly knows exactly how much he wants to find his Father and exactly what he is going to do when he does. "Where is he?"

"Who?"

"Damn it woman!" Nick again slams a fist into a table. Behind him the other scientists are rushing from the room, calling for security. "Where is James? Where is my fucking Father?"

The expressions that cross Doctor Li's face are profound. First confusion, then disbelief, and finally, horror. "Oh my god," she gasps, "it is you. James's son? Catherine's little boy? You, you look like him." Her words hit Nick like a brick wall. "Yet, with your mother's eyes."

Nick's fists clinch tightly, "Tell me where he is. I know he came to speak with you." The raw emotion causes Doctor Li to retreat a step. "NOW!" Nick roars, jumping forward and grabbing the small woman by the front of her coat. "TELL ME!"

She scrambles, trying to break free of his grip, but he holds fast. "I don't know" she all but screams, "he came in talking about Project Purity! I told him it was useless, the facility has been abandoned for too long! He insisted I help him but I couldn't! He ran off to the memorial on his own! I looked for him there, but he was gone when I arrived!"

"Where," Nick's voice is lower now, the fury has been replaced by malice, "where is he?"

"I don't know," she insists frantically, "I don't know!"

Nick roars in fury and lifts her off the ground. "Wait!" she screams, "wait, there were holotapes, I found them all over the memorial! I didn't listen to them, take them if you want!" Suddenly realizing that he is holding a woman off the ground, likely appearing as though he is going to kill her, Nick releases Doctor Li and stumbles back a few paces, backing into a table and knocking it over. Glass beakers and several computers smash against the ground. "I," Nick stumbles over his words, sickened by his actions, "I don't know, I am so sorry."

He sinks to his knees. The reality of everything he has done to get here suddenly slamming into him. The fact that he has changed so much. Seconds ago, he was holding a woman up in the air, and he was going to kill her if she couldn't tell him anything. The admission of that hurts him, deep. He starts to shudder uncontrollably. Anyone else would have cried, yet he found himself unable to. Instead he closes his eyes and just shakes, breathing in ragged gasps. He has no idea how long he is like that, the eternity broken only when he feels a gentle hand on his shoulder. Instinctively he jerks away from the contact and draws his pistol. Doctor Li does not make a sound, but her eyes go wide with fear. Slowly, Nick lowers the gun and begins to shake again. "I am so sorry." he somehow manages to say between breaths.

Doctor Li hesitates for a second, but then sits down next to him and puts an arm over his shoulders. The contact feels alien and bizarre, yet Nick does not pull away. "I think I understand." she whispers in a comforting tone. "You are afraid. Afraid of what the wasteland has done to you, of what it is doing to you. And of what it may have done to your Father. He loves you, no matter what you may think. I can assure you of that one thing. Why else would he abandon his life's work to raise you in the vault?"

Her words are kind, and Nick feels himself beginning to calm a little. Yet she is wrong. At this point, he cares little about how much his father may have changed, or how he once loved him. Now all Nick can see is himself. All he can see is the thing he has become in order to survive. All he can see is the look his Father is going to give him, when Nick shoves a gun in his face and forces him to realize just what he has done to his only child.

* * *

Jane steps out of Rivet Cities main entrance and stretches her arms above her head. After a night of drowning herself in multiple bottles of whiskey, and a morning after of dealing with the hangover, she decided to face the rest of her trip with optimism. It that guy Nick could survive through all the hell he was dragged through, she could make it to the Commonwealth and be back home within the year. Optimism, yay!

She shoulders her pack, now stuffed with supplies that she, um, liberated, from a few stores in the cities market. She crosses the extendable bridge and checks her compass before setting off along the coast. As she walks she finds herself daydreaming about Nick, weird right? She barely knows anything about the guy, aside from what he told her last night, and yet she feels strangely connected to him. Maybe it has something to do with the way he is searching for his Father. She can understand the need to find something that is missing.

For years and years she had done nothing but wander the Mojave desert after her clan was whipped out by disease. As far as she knows, she is the only survivor. There were not a lot of people willing to help a lone gypsy girl lost in the desert. too many bigots in the NCR, and the Legion would have just made her into a slave. None of the free standing settlements would help either. sure, it was fine for her to curl up in an ally or beg for food, but ask for a job, hell no! Way too uncivilized! She was alone, afraid, and just knew that eventually some pig was going to get hot and rape her.

Through some miracle, the Mojave express found her first. A courier who went by the name of Jack of All Trades found her and started using her as his personal baggage carrier. At first, she thought the guy hated her and only kept her around because she worked for food and would carry all his stuff for him. As time went by, she realized he was pushing her to find out how much she could take. Eventually he started dividing his work loads between the two of them. His trust in her was endearing and she worked to live up to his regard. One day she went back to the outpost they usually met up at, and he never showed. She waited. For nearly two whole weeks she passed up jobs and slept in the dumpster out back of the outpost.

Near the middle of her third week, she finally got word. A letter, folded three times, and stamped with a wax seal. It was sent from The NCR Bone yard. It was from Jack, of course. It told her that he wouldn't be meeting up with her again, that he believed that she no longer needed him and that she was ready to be on her own again, but that she could always count on him if she needed him. At first it hurt, the fact that he didn't see her in person. Later she realized that it was just the sort of thing he would do. She assumes he changed professions and disappeared as she hasn't heard from him since. He isn't known as Jack of All Trades for nothing.

She kept an eye out for any sign of him, or what he might be up to. So perhaps that is why she feels connected to Nick. Because she is always searching for the only man who has ever shown her any affection outside of a one night stand. She may never again lay eyes on Nick, but she sure as hell will never forget him. She hopes he finds his Father, and gets the closure he needs. Even if that closure involves killing his dad.

 **So, I realize that these past few chapters have taken a dark turn, but things should get better right? I mean, in the game the LW finds Dad and all is well, right? Yeah, I wasn't buying it either. I'm sure some of you have already guessed who Jane is, I didn't do much to keep her identity secret, and yes, she will be appearing again, just maybe not in this particular story...**


	23. Chapter 23

**So skipping forward in time a little. Originally had the whole trip to the location where this chapter picks up written out, but it was just taking up way to much time and killing my already slowing down pace. So, here is chapter 23. Enjoy, comment, leave a review. as always any and all critiques are welcome.**

Chapter 23

Finally, they are here. However long they have been searching, all the blood they have shed, it is all about to pay off. The holotapes Doctor Li gave Nick lead them straight to this vault, hidden beneath a mechanic's shop. Finding it hadn't been all that difficult, nor had getting in. Luther was actually surprised by how big of a turn around Nick seemed to have made, again. After their argument in the Weatherly hotel, Luther made the assumption that Nick was well and truly done with his search for dear old dad.

After Tyler stormed out, Nick made it clear he wasn't talking to anyone by disappearing in the direction of the bar. Luther searched the ship for Tyler, but didn't find him. Giving up on his search, as he figured Tyler would show up when he was good and ready, Luther went to the cafe in the town market. He intended to drink his pains away. Only problem was that he ended up doing exactly what seems to always do these days, stare hatefully at his reflection in the liquid. Nick found him there, told him he had been to see Doctor Li, and that they should probably leave Rivet City before the authorities came looking for them. That was all the motivation Luther needed. The two of them returned to their hotel room where they found the others, including an eerily quiet Tyler, and after packing their gear they set out.

The trip to the mechanics shop took them all of four days due to a detour they were forced to make around a camp of raiders holed up in an abandoned mill. Luther made note of the camp's location just in case some work might come out of it. Upon finding the shop, 'Smith Casey's Garage', they entered and spent all of an hour searching for the hidden door to the vault. It was cleverly hidden, a trap door that could only be activated by a power switch behind some old cars, but Luther has had enough experience with vaults to know what he was doing. Vault 87 for example, that place was a living nightmare. this vault, vault 112, turned out to not be so bad.

Sure, there are some strange robot brains rolling around and offering vault suits to them every three seconds, and then there are the cryogenic pods where all the original residents still seem to be sealed, but aside from that, still a very nice vault. A nearby door slides open and Charon steps through. "No resident hall through there, just more tubes and piping."

The ghoul's report confirms what Luther had been suspecting. This vault never operated as a residency vault like most of the others. This one sealed up its first patrons, and then never unsealed them. He steps up to one of the pods and wipes away the layer of dust on the glass panel. Inside he can just barely make out the features of a young woman, her hair all done up like one of those old pre-war posters. As he watches, he can almost make out very faint movement as she breaths, very slowly. "Nick," he calls, "what was your Father looking to find here?"

Nick steps back from a pod he was looking into and shakes his head. "Half of what was in the holotapes Madison gave me didn't make any sense. Ramblings about finishing his work, plans for technical issues, stuff like that. Only the last few mentioned his plan to start searching vaults. Turns out his retreating to vault 101 wasn't even about keeping me safe like Madison said. He actually only used me as a way in so he could look for some form of technology that was supposed to help rebuild the world after the bombs fell. Probably what he came here looking for. Probably moved on by now. If he hasn't left any more holotapes here, then the trail is cold, again." the anger in Nick's voice is very poorly hidden.

Something about his missions into different vaults starts nagging at Luther's thoughts.

 _that is correct soldier, you know something that you are keeping from your degenerate underlings. Will you tell them, no, you won't. You are too much of a coward. The GECK. And that mutant you refused to kill despite direct orders to terminate all mutated hostiles._

Shut the hell up! Fucking voice! Yes, he knows something, and yes, he spared Fawkes. Yet if it wasn't for Fawkes help he never would have reached the GECK and completed his mission. How was he supposed to kill the only resource he had in that fucking hellhole? Now though, he would have killed the bastard mutant. It was because of his momentary act of mercy that his family was eventually murdered. It was because of the GECK and what he learned about it that made him a danger. It would have been better if he died in that vault, then those bastards wouldn't have their fucking super weapon.

 _Oh poor, poor Luther. The whole world is just gunning for you isn't it? Suck it up soldier! You shouldn't be crawling through the mud with these degenerates!_

How dare you. How fucking dare you! "Who I work with is my business!"

"What?" Luther hadn't realized that he was speaking out loud, or that Tyler was standing next to him.

"Nothing," he responds quickly, "just talking to myself."

He steps away and examines a computer terminal. Within he discovers the entry dates for all of the pods. One of the pods is still empty, and another. "Hey Nick," he calls, "I think you Father is still here. Check pod six." He looks over as Nick runs to the pod and peers inside. From the kid's body language, Luther can tell that his guess was right.

"Yes," Nick's voice is barely a whisper, "that's him."

"From what I can tell," Luther says as he reads off the terminal, "we cannot release him from out here due to a security lock. Seems we are going to have to go into one of these pods and find a way to release them all from the inside."

Tyler cross his arms, "Just what they hell do you mean, on the inside?"

Luther points at the pods, "They are not just frozen. According to this they are stuck in a virtual reality simulation built by some guy called Dr. Braun that is supposed to test their mental capabilities over long periods of time. According to these readouts, manual release of the pods would more than likely kill the occupant or leave them brain dead, so someone has to go into the simulation and find a fail safe. Strange thing though, I can't find any information as to what or where the fail safe is. If your Father went in there, then it is safe to assume he is looking for this Dr."

Nick nods, "I recall that name from one of the tapes Madison gave me. Seems this Braun created some sort of technology that my Father needs to finish something called Project Purity that is supposed to clean all the radiation out of the basin. Look there," he points at a pod, "that must be Braun, looks like he could just stand up and walk right out of here."

"Shit, fuck, damn." Clover is backed against a wall and looking around wildly, "they are zombies! A bunch of pre-war zombies just sitting on ice and waiting for the chance to go psycho on us! No way in hell am I getting into one of those things, none of you are!"

Tyler goes over to comfort her and Luther opens the only remaining pod. "Don't worry Clover," he states in a flat tone, "I'll go in and be back out in a few seconds."

"Like hell," Tyler growls angrily, "I agree with her, none of us are getting into one of those things! What if something goes wrong and we cannot find the fail safe! What if we get trapped! I say we just pop the lid on Nick's dad, grab him, and haul his ass out of here!"

"I told you," Luther says in an exasperated tone, "manual release could kill him, we sure as hell didn't come all this way and discover that we have a chance to save him just so we can fry his brain."

The sound of a pod closing and sealing causes them all to whirl around. While they argued, Nick climbed into the pod and activated it. Luther runs to the pod and attempts to open it, but it is already sealed shut. Charon appears beside him and is furiously slamming the but of his rifle against the glass exterior. A crack appears in the pod and Luther panics. If the sealing process pressurized the inside, breaking the seal could tear Nick to shreds. "Charon stop!" He makes to grab him, but the tall ghoul elbows him in the face, knocking him to the ground. "You could kill him by opening it back up!"

Charon turns on him and points his shotgun, "I have had enough of you two smooth skins getting my boss into trouble! How am I supposed to protect him from out here!"

"You open that pod, or do any further damage to it, and you will be responsible for his death, does your contract cover that?" Luther's voice is a low menacing hiss.

Charon's face contorts into a look of pure, but somehow bottled up, rage. With a roar he turns and slams his gun down, against the floor. The wooden stock of the weapon splinters and Charon stands back up to his full height. He glares down at Luther, "If he dies, you die with him." The ghoul steps back and leans against Nick's pod, as if to protect the kid from the rest of them.

Luther stands up and cautiously approaches the pod. Looking in he can see Nick's eyes glued to the simulation projector, yet try as he might, Luther can't make out what Nick is seeing. With a sigh he returns to the computer terminal he was looking at before. "Seems Nick got tired of all the arguing and took matters into his own hands, again."

* * *

Strange isn't a good enough word for what Nick finds himself looking at. Bizarre, terrifying, wrong. Before him is the image of a perfectly preserved pre-war town. Everything is lacking color, the sky, the grass, hell, even the strange childish body he seems to have been forced into. There are several houses all neatly arranged in a circle around a small playground where a little girl is watering some flowers. Nearby a few adults are chatting idly and a young boy is selling lemonade. The overall picture is one of peaceful bliss. Strangely, it all manages to make Nick feel sick.

He wanders around the small town, trying to get some information out of the people he encounters. All of them simile warmly at him and none of them seem to realize they are living in a simulation. He didn't understand all of what Luther was talking about before he entered the pod, but from what he did understand these people all represent someone who is alive and in a different pod at this very moment. Yet none of them even know what the hell a virtual reality simulation is, fuck, Nick doesn't fully understand!

Eventually he ends up looking through the peoples houses, only to find nothing of interest. The interiors remind him of the ruins he has picked through while in the wastes, only much much cleaner and without any holes in the walls. He keeps expecting to see the image of his Father in one of the houses, maybe drinking coffee or something, but he finds no sign of him and none of the residents know where or who he is. In frustration he slams his fist into the side of a house. The skin breaks and little drops of blood fall to the ground. He stares at his hand and is struck by the fact that he can feel the pain. So the simulation can replicate pain, he wonders if it works for other things, like hunger or sickness.

He shakes his head and redoubles his search. Eventually he ends up approaching the small girl in the middle of the town's playground. He is irritable from being treated like a small child, which is what he looks like right now, but he sure as hell is not some fucking boy! He notices a dog sitting beneath a swing set and rubs its ears as he passes. The dog licks his fingers, but otherwise does not move. "Oh goodie," the girl all but squeals as Nick approaches, "someone new to play with, and I was just getting bored."

Nick sighs, "I am not here to play. I am looking for my Father. middle ages, white or grey hair, scruffy beard, and a god complex that is incredibly annoying. Seen him?"

The girl scrunches up her face and Nick cant help but think that she has a piggish nose. "Hm, actually, yes, I met the good doctor some time ago. He was very curious about Tranquility Lane and how it worked. But he kept causing trouble, so I had to put him in time out. You can see him if you want, but only if you play a few games with me."

Nick feels his jaw start to drop, but snaps it shut quickly. "You mean to say, you met my Father, and then put him in time out? You, a little girl, put my Father in time out? There has to be some fucking irony in there someplace."

The girl rolls her eyes. "Oh please, don't tell me you haven't figured it out yet. I have been watching you go around and talk to just about everyone. You must be much more of an idiot than your father." Nick bristles at her words and starts to respond, but she interrupts him. "Look at yourself for example. I am sure that outside this simulation you are an adult or something right? Yet here you stand before me, a child. And that aside, I am also sure that you have noticed how no one else seems to be aware that this is just a simulation, am I correct?" Nick nods, starring at the girl suspiciously. "Then you should take comfort in the idea that your Father is indeed here, but has been given the shape of someone who you will not recognize. The game is simple, you play along, and I will give you your daddy."

"You are Dr. Braun."

The little girl smiles sweetly, "You catch on quick. Now are you going to play, or are you going to continue walking around in circles like a fool?"

Nick grinds his teeth as he realizes he has not choice but to humor the sick bastard, for now. "Fine, what do you want me to do?"

"Delightful," Braun laughs, "it is simple really. Timmy over there is boring to play with and a little crybaby. So, I want you to make him cry. How you do it, is up to you."

Nick scoffs, "You seriously want me to make some little punk cry? Fuck that."

Dr. Braun shakes his, her, its head with a sigh. "I told you already, he may look like a small boy, but he could in all actuality be a full grown man, or woman. Now are you going to play, or not?"

Nick thinks back to how he bloodied his knuckles. He smiles menacingly and lowers his head, "Oh yeah Dr. Braun, you and I are going to play a few games all right." If it is possible for a little girls face to reflect an old man's look of fear, then that would be the expression on Braun's face.

* * *

"Seems Nick got tired of all the arguing and took matters into his own hands, again." Luther barely finished speaking before an alarm starting blaring and the pod Nick is in lifts up and Nick tumbles out with a gasp. "Shit," Luther jumps to Nick's side, "don't start to hyperventilate, the cryo or whatever it is that preserves the body in those things has slowed your systems. Give it a second to wear..." He can't finish as Charon steps up and shoves him away from Nick.

"Don't fucking touch him!"

Luther jumps to his feet and steps up to the tall ghoul, "I am trying to help him! Who knows what sort of side effects going into that thing could have had on him! Seems he got ejected for some reason, so there has to be something wrong!"

"No," Nick gasps on the floor, "I found, the fail safe. Was in there, for hours."

Luther looks at Nick in confusion, "You were in that pod for all of a three minutes, the simulation must be fucking with your sense of time. There is no way you were able to do anything before..." A few pods over a second pod opens slowly. From it steps a middle aged man with pepper grey hair and a short beard. The man's eyes lie beneath heavy brows and stare out at all those gathered with mixed emotions before he spots Nick.

The man lurches forward, only to be intercepted by both Luther and Charon. "Not so fast." Luther growls angrily. "Who are you."

"That," Nick says as he stands and pushes between Luther and Charon, "is my Father."

"Nick." The man's voice is husky and under used. When he says the kid's name, Luther can hear the affection in it, but he can also hear anger and confusion. "What are you doing here?" Now the man's voice is chiding, "You are supposed to be safe in vault 101."

Luther throws out an arm to hold back both Charon and Tyler as they move to stop Nick from advancing on his Father. For his part, Nick steps up and stands right in his Fathers face. "Safe? You thought that you could just leave the vault and everything would stay the same down there! The Overseer went mad! He killed Jonas and tried to kill me before I escaped!"

Nicks Father looks like he has been shot. "I, I am sorry, I don't..."

"Sorry," Nick snarls, advancing further and forcing his Father to retreat backwards, "I get tossed out into the wasteland with no idea how to defend myself! I get kidnapped and tortured by raiders! I kill a woman in cold blood because I need the caps! I get made a slave and taken to the Pitt! I crawl through hell to find some evidence of your survival in the capital! I have nearly been killed more times than I can count! And you say, sorry?"

Every word he speaks seems to make his Father die a little more. "I never wanted this for you. I took you to the vault when you were little to protect you from the wasteland. I thought you would be safe there, if not happy."

"Bullshit!" Nick grabs his father by the front of the lab coat he is wearing and jerks him forward. "You went into 101 looking for some fucking technology for your damn Project Purity! You used me as a way in! I saw the way you used to look at me! You blamed me for my Mothers death! You feared me for what I might become!" Nick releases his Father and steps back. He throws out his arms and motions all around. "Well, here I am Father! This is what you feared come to life! Lie to me again and tell me you still love me, that you ever cared for me at all!"

Luther stares at Nicks Father, willing him to say something. "I," the man starts, then he looks down, "I have always loved you."

Nick seems to deflate a little, but not much. "Did you at least find what you were looking for?"

The man looks up at Nick and Luther releases his hold on Charon and Tyler. "Dr. Braun did know about the GECK." If Nick's Father could have shot him, Luther knows that he might as well have. This Braun knew about the GECK, and Nick's father knows now. "I managed to pry a great deal of information about it from him, but I will need to do some more research before making any attempt at retrieving one. For that, I need to return to the Jefforson Memorial. I, I hope that, now that you have found me, will you join me there?"

Luther looks to Nick, suddenly realizing that what the kid says next may well determine if he has to kill both of them, or put a bullet between his own eyes.

Nick glares at his Father for a long time.

 _He is going to say yes._

Say no damn it, Luther begs silently.

"Fine." Nick answers.

 _I warned you. Now the truth will become clear to them all, no matter how hard you try to hide it._

 **there it is. I was knocking around the idea that Nick just has one of his crazy spells and kills his dad, but that sort of defeated the whole plot line. Besides, this felt better. I always did see James as a bit of an ass. That aside, if you peoples have any guesses as to who Luther used to work for I am happy to hear them, been lots of clues dropped throughout the story. Things will be heating up here soon as all who have played the game know. Hope you stick around!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Welcome to Chapter 24 everybody!**

Chapter 24

The sound of the splash fills Tyler's thoughts as he works. It isn't a loud sound, or even all that noticeable when the waves are crashing against the shore, yet still it can be heard. It was so quick, so very quick. One second there, the next, splash. A shot fall, but long enough to do what it was intended to do. He wonders, what will happen now? Will anyone miss that old man? Hell, he didn't even get the guys name. He also can't shake the suspicion that he is responsible. What would that be called? Survivors guilt? He doesn't know, he isn't good with words like Luther or Nick.

Speaking of, what was he doing down here anyway? Nick's daddy asked him to go down here and get, something. He reaches up and scratches his head without thinking and curses immediately after as he feels a clump of his hair give way and fall out. The ghoulification has been getting worse. Patches of his skin have started peeling up and getting calloused. The worst part is the itching. It is as if is flesh is crawling with thousands of insects that are biting and gnawing at him all the time. He has been trying not to scratch at the spots, as his condition is something of a secret from everyone Nick's dad brought in to work on this fucking project.

Damn, he got distracted again, now what the fucking hell is he supposed to be getting. He noses around in the Jefferson Memorials sub levels for a little longer before giving up and searching out an intercom. He presses the button and speaks into the square box set into the wall, "Um, hey Doc?"

There is a slight pause and some static before Nick's dad's voice comes through, "Tyler? Have any trouble finding those fuses?"

Fuses, right, that is what he was looking for. "Um, no, no. Just checking to make sure this intercom works properly is all. Got to make sure we can communicate if there is a problem or something."

"I understand. Thank you. Let me know if you have any problems with those fuses."

"Got it." What a fucking idiot. Sure, James is an egghead like all the others he brought in from Rivet City a few days ago when the started work on Project Purity, but the guy seems to take everything at its base level. Tyler shakes his head and resumes his search for the fuses. Project Purity, what a fucking joke. Sure, the idea is nice, but there is no way in hell it will actually ever work properly. Even if it does, there will be so much competition for the clean water that the Capital Wasteland will find itself engaged in yet another war.

Tyler isn't even sure why he, and Luther have stuck around. Clover opted to stay in Rivet City with Bryan after they rescued the Doc, and Nick supposedly sent Charon back to Underworld with some scrap metal he collected for Winthrop. They did what they set out to do. They got Nick reunited with is dear daddy, even though that ended up not being what Nick wanted. Ever since they unfroze James he and Nick have been at each others throats. The one time Tyler witnessed them having a civil conversation that wasn't laced with underlying malice was when James congratulated Nick on disarming the atomic bomb in Megaton. At least now after working together for a few days they have gotten to where they can be in the same room for a few hours without shouting. Maybe that means they are warming to each other. Good for them, but Tyler still needs to find those fucking fuses.

He turns a corner and steps over the corpse of a supermutant. When they first arrived back at the memorial, they found the place overrun by the big bastards. Nick and Luther went in without him and managed to take down all the muties without a full out firefight that could have damaged the equipment in the building. Tyler is still sore about the fact that he wasn't allowed to blow some shit up. Sure, it might have been bad if he accidentally destroyed something important, but the eggheads could have fixed it.

Somehow he manages to find the fuses. He stuffs them into a bag and heads back up to the main level. On his way he passes Luther, who for some reason has been avoiding contact with everyone and has been snooping around the same area for a while now. "Hey," Tyler calls as he approaches, "what are you doing?"

Luther looks up at him from where he is kneeling down next to what appears to be a sewage grate. "Does this make any sense to you?" he asks, pointing at the grate.

"What," Tyler asks with a shrug, "it is a sewer, not exactly surprising seeing how close to the water we are. Isn't that closeness the whole reason Project Purity is set up here instead of someplace more convenient?"

Luther shakes his head, "I know what it is, I mean, why the hell is there a sewage hatch inside the building and on the main floor instead of in the sub levels where it should be. Something doesn't add up. I also noticed Doctor Li hanging around here, like she was looking for something."

Tyler rolls his eyes, "Li is weird, okay. She was probably doped up on some weird chemical concoction she accidentally mixed together."

Luther again shakes his head, "You are the junkie of the bunch, speaking of which, why haven't you been taking your normal fixes lately?"

Huh, it hadn't even occurred to Tyler. Usually he needs a fix of some sort to make it through a day, yet he hasn't been taking anything for a good long while now. He wonders when exactly he stopped. He still has all his chems, psycho, jet, med-x, he just hasn't had a hit. "I don't really know actually. Maybe when Doc Barrows fixed me up he cured my addictions as well and just forgot to tell me? Or maybe he did tell me and I wasn't paying attention." He looks down and realizes Luther has stopped listening to him. "Oh I get it, you ask but you don't really care." Luther just nods his head. "I am also planning on killing everyone in this building." Again Luther just nods. Tyler is about to kick him in the back, when the man reaches down and presses some hidden panel and the sewer grate opens up, revealing a laddered tunnel down into the earth. "Well, shit."

"Now," Luther stands up and rubs his chin, "what other types of secrets are being kept from us here in this Project Purity? For this place to house such a well hidden escape route, there must be more to it than just cleaning up the water."

Tyler shrugs his shoulders. It isn't that he ins't interested, he just doesn't give a flying fuck anymore. "Let the eggheads figure it out. Not like they are the only ones keeping secrets around here." He turns and continues on his way before Luther can respond. He guessed days ago what was troubling his partner. Ever since James mentioned the GECK, Luther had been acting all suspicious and kept snooping around. Tyler attempted to confront him about it, but all he got was an angry, 'its my business not yours!' Fucking asshole.

He puts it out of his thoughts, he seems to be doing a lot of that today, and enters the rotunda where the eggheads have set up the base of the project. Ascending the stairs to the main control room he catches the tail end of a conversation between James and Nick. "I realize that this is hard for you to hear, and I am sorry for all the deceptions. I only wanted you to be safe." James's voice is full of sincerity, but Nick does not seem to be buying it.

"Just, stop." Nick speaks with a heavy sigh. "I am tired of you attempting to fix something that was never there. You and I were not close, maybe once, but not for a long time, even before being ejected from 101. You were scared of me, scared that I would be too much like someone from the surface, from the world that killed your wife, my Mother. You were right, I always was too much of a waster, I just never knew it." Tyler steps into the control room as Nick walks out with an odd expression on his face. He could be wrong, but it looks like Nick is almost sad.

"Hey Doc," Tyler says as he walks in, pretending that he didn't overhear anything, "got those bloody fuses for you. Took forever. Also, one of the intercoms at the back of room C5 is busted and won't work, going to go down there and see if I can fix it for you."

James nods and rubs his head. "Thank you, Tyler, just leave them over there on the table please." Tyler does as asked and makes to leave. As he reaches the door, the urge to say something suddenly seizes him. "You know, treating him like a child is useless."

"Excuse me?"

Tyler turns around and looks James in the eye. "He has been through a literal hell to find you, something he never would have had to experience if it wasn't for you. I don't know all the details he went into with you, but he is not a child anymore."

James's face darkens with slight anger. "I know that. He told me he was made a slave, Tyler, but you rescued him so all is well."

Tyler shakes his head. "For a Doctor, you are not that smart. You don't just, walk away unscathed from something like that. He may have told you he was a slave, but did he mention that he was tortured to the point where he could no longer feel pain? Did he tell you that he was forced to fight to the death against other slaves in an irradiated arena? Did he even tell you that he has become so adept at killing that he can no longer sleep at night without having a gun nearby?"

James takes a few steps back with an expression like he has been stuck with a bat. Tyler doesn't give him the chance to respond and instead turns his back. "For a man who is supposed to be trying to save the entire wasteland, you sure have done a piss poor job protecting your only child. What you fail to see, is that he does not need you, he never has."

* * *

Nick makes his way through the cramped pipe towards the valve. His thoughts are so hectic that he really isn't pay attention to where he is going and slips more than once. He is conflicted with way to many emotions all at once. On some level, he is happy that they finally found his Father and that he has finally done what he set out to do from the start. On a totally different level, he wishes they left the arrogant bastard as a pop sickle. Day one of his release from that fucking vault and all his Father had done was hang over him. Always trying to get the both of them in the same room so he could lecture or send him on a project that requires communicating with him. Like this one, got some blockage in the pipes and need someone to open a specific valve? Send Nick.

Then there is the judgments. His Father does not like the way he, 'conducts himself,' around the other scientists. Well forgive him for not trusting the fucking people in white lab coats who are always looking down their noses at him like he is some little insect that needs to be crushed. Father also does not seem to approve of how violent Nick's recent past is. Nick only gave him scare details, knowing he would be upset about it, and still the man manages to make Nick seem like some horrible person. Fuck you old man!

He stops moving as he comes to what he thinks is the valve. He has to shades his eyes as there is a large tear in the pipe through which the sun is shinning. Great, yet another block in the road to getting this fucking project over with. As if his Father's patronizing wasn't enough, Nick has to deal with the man ranting on and on about his precious Project Purity. After they got Madison Li and her team to help them here at the memorial, Nick had hoped that his Father's fanaticism would die down at least a little, but it only grew worse, fueled by the obvious puppy love Doctor Li held towards him.

With a sigh he looks around for an intercom and eventually spots one under the tear in the pipes. Hopefully it still works. He depresses the button and speaks, "Hey, I am at the valve, but we have a bigger problem. This pipeline has a massive tear in the side. If we try and run anything through here it we will loose most of it before it reaches us."

There is a crackle of static before his Father's voice comes through. "All right then. Leave the valve and head back this way. We can take a look at the damage and asses what it will take to repair it." Nick rolls his eyes, by we he surely means just Nick. Muttering a few curses he turns to head back into the memorial, but stops when he hears an odd sound. He looks up and down the pipe, not sure which direction it is coming from. His hand goes down to his pistol, the only weapon small enough to bring with him through such a cramped space. He flips off the safety and gets ready for a fight out of instinct.

The sound gets louder and louder. It is as if something is beating the air with a blunt weapon. Beneath the sound he can also hear what reminds him of a generator. He has been inching backwards along the pipe, sure that the sound is coming from forward, when movement through the tear catches his eye. He looks out and squints, straining to see through the glare of the sun. When the shape of a large metal flying machine shows up, he has to do a double take to make sure he isn't seeing things. What ever that contraption is, it is large, and more than likely dangerous.

The machine lands and out of it jump several people in heavy power armor the likes of which he has never seen before. Another man, not in power armor, steps from the flying machine and points towards the memorial. The soldiers, because they have to be soldiers, all move out, drawing plasma weapons. Nick watches with a strange fascination as a second flying machine lands and even more soldiers start towards the memorial. He snaps out of it and presses the button on the intercom, "Dad, we have company, and they do not look friendly!"

He looks back the way he came, the drop from that direction is almost straight down, it would take him way to long to climb out. He turns and moves deeper into the pipeline. He stops and listens for a moment, echoing through the pipes, he can hear gunfire! Fuck! He rushes forward and tumbles downward as the pipe takes a sudden dip. He rolls to a stop and crawls towards an exit. He knocks it open and looks through. Before him is the sub level of the memorial. Below is one of the treatment pools. Without thinking about how shallow the water may be, he jumps. He splashes down and the color red explodes in his eyes as his head is bashed against something.

The air rushes out of his lungs and he struggles to determine which way is up! he realizes with a sickening sensation that he is drowning while the others are being butchered! NO! He fights, kicking his legs and struggling to make sense of the haze through which he is looking. Just when his limbs give out, a hand latches on to his back and hauls him out of the water! He coughs, ejecting the liquid from his lungs as the air rushes back into him. "What the hell were you thinking!" He looks up to see Tyler, soaked, and furious holding on to him. "Now is not the time for killing yourself!"

A green bolt of light streaks through the dark interior of the sub level and slams into Tyler's chest! The merc is thrown backwards and Nick rolls to the side just as a second bolt hits the floor where he was lying. He draws his pistol and leans out of cover to return fire. All he can see in the darkness is a set of ominously glowing yellow eyes. He opens fire, but all he sees are sparks fly off of the soldiers power armor. "Shit! Tyler, you all right?" there is no response. "Shit!" The soldier advances forward, and Nick slips to the side. Maybe he can flank the bastard. He goes to a crawl and makes his way across the room. The soldier reaches the area where he was and lights it up with plasma fire. Nick steps up behind him and is about to make a shot to the head, when he notices a slight glow in the soldier's back and what looks to be a fusion core.

He fires off two quick rounds and jumps behind cover as the soldier whips around and sprays plasma bolts. A smile grows on Nick's face as he hears the power armor eject the damaged fusion core and the soldier begin to panic as his armor shuts down with him still inside. Nick steps out of cover and approaches the soldier, who can now barely move in the powerless suit of heavy metal. Nick takes the plasma rifle from the mans hands and shoots six to five rounds at the bastard. He watches in satisfaction as the liquid energy eats through the metal. As the plasma finally reaches the man he lets out a scream of pain that causes Nick's hair to stand on end.

Nick turns away from the disintegrating soldier and looks for Tyler. He spots the old merc on the ground and not moving. Nick pulls one of his last stimpacks from his pack and jabs it into him. Tyler lets out a groan that tells Nick he is still alive. Nick pulls him to his feet and drapes his arm around his own shoulders. He half carries Tyler the rest of the way up through the sub level. Above them the memorial has become eerily quiet and Nick begins to panic. He increases his pace and eventually burst from the basement. Two soldiers jump at his sudden appearance and scramble for their weapons. Nick tosses aside Tyler and lifts the plasma rifle again. He manages to get in three shots on one of the soldiers before he has to find cover to avoid their attacks. He can hear the plasma eating away at one of the soldier's armor and hopes that he will be out of the fight here soon.

The second soldier does not wait for Nick to attack and instead jumps over Nick's cover and slams a fist into the wall behind him. Nick narrowly avoids the attack and attempts to swipe the man's feet out from under them, but only ends up twisting his ankle. The soldier reaches down and grabs Nick's head and starts to squeeze. Nick struggles, but cannot break the man's grip. He kicks out, and miraculously he finds a weak point at the man's armpit. The soldier grunts in pain and drops Nick who quickly grabs his discarded plasma rifle and blasts three solid rounds into the soldier's helmet, which starts to melt almost immediately. Behind him there is a loud thud and he whips around to see Tyler standing over the body of a dead soldier and holding a fusion core in his hand. Nick nods at him and sucks air into his burning lungs.

A rumbling shakes the entire compound and Nick nearly falls to the floor. He leaps up and scrambles towards the control room. He bursts in with Tyler hot on his heels. The control room is sealed and there are two soldiers flanking the officer he saw before. His father and one of the other scientists are locked in with them. Doctor Li is frantically banding on the bulkhead and screaming for them to let James go. Nick ascends the the viewing platform and stands next to Madison. His Father catches his eyes and all Nick can see is the regret filling them. "I've told you Colonel, This facility is not operational, it never was. We are just here to retrieve some old equipment and transport it back to Rivet City."

The colonel moves so quickly that Nick barely had time to register that the man drew a weapon before the other scientists is lying on the ground dead. "I shan't say it again. You will activate this facility and transfer all relevant data to the Enclave immediately."

Nick's eyes are glued to his Father's as he growls, "Very well, colonel." From the fire in his eyes, Nick knows what he is about to do. He grabs Madison by the shoulders and starts pulling her away from the viewing platform.

"What are you doing?" she screams at him, "We have to help them!" She breaks away from his grasp and he grabs her as the facility rocks violently and radiation starts flooding into the control room. "No!" She screams!

James manages to limp to the bulkhead separating them and stares Nick in the eye. The intercom is malfunctioning, but Nick can tell what his Father said, "Run my son! RUN!" James slips down to the floor and is still. No. no. no, no, no, no, no, NO!

Tyler grabs Nick and shakes him, "We have to get out of here before more of those bastards show up! I know an escape route! come on damn it!" Through the raging sea of thoughts in his mind Nick manages to grab a hysterical Madison and drag her out of the memorial and back to the basement entrance. Tyler somehow opens up a panel in the floor and directs them down. Nick hadn't noticed that the other members of the science team had joined them. He all but has to push Madison down the ladder to get her to move. Nick is the last down and he closes the hatch just as he hears a door crack open and the sound of armored boots storm in.

Once down he turns and starts walking, not sure where he is going. A hand grabs his shoulder and he reacts by spinning and raising the plasma rifle he still has in his hands. He stops just short of disintegrating Madison's head. Her once perfect hair is now disheavled and her eyes are wild. "You have to get us out of here."

"What?" Nick asks in confusion, his mind still trying to make sense of what is going on, of what he just witnessed.

"You brought us down here, and you are the only one of us who can still fight. You have to get us out of here!" Nick looks over the woman's shoulder at Tyler and realizes that the man is barely standing. He lowers his head and nods silently. He again turns on his heal and walks three short paces before something occurs to him. Turning around he looks over the group behind him.

A sick sensation takes over him as he realizes what is wrong. "Where is Luther?"


	25. Chapter 25

**Welcome to chapter 25. Here there be monsters from the past of all our characters. Quick note, just added a slightly updated portion of Chapter 24, explains where Clover and Charon went as I was asked about them after posting the initial chapter. Essentially Clover is with Bryan Wilks in Rivet City and Charon is delivering scrap metal to Underworld.**

Chapter 25

The first thing Luther becomes aware of is a buzzing in his head. It is like static from a radio, or some sort of white noise. He can't place where it is, or which direction it is coming from. After the buzzing he notices that he is upright, but that his feet are not supporting his weight. The sensation is like what he imagines standing on water must feel like. Finally he realizes that he cannot move in any direction. He has just enough space to continue breathing, but that is all. He opens his eyes and is treated to a view of the inside of a confinement cell, the likes of which he is very familiar with. The pulsing blue energy fields just barely visible at the edges of his vision confirm his fears. He is being held prisoner by the Enclave.

 _Don't be surprised, you brought this upon us, after all. It is all your fault, again._

Just as he makes this conclusion, a door opens and through it steps a man from his past. Colonel Autumn. The man enters and stands in a relaxed military pose, the likes of which Luther hasn't stood at for years. "Hello again, Major. I see that your time spent in exile has only made you even more of a degenerate scumbag than you were before. Found at a site that is off limits to civilians, aiding in the construction of a bio weapon, associating with mutant creatures, all of these are serious charges, and all are added on top of your initial charge of being a traitor to your country."

Luther manages to smile, an expression that must be either very unexpected or very alarming as Autumn actually recoils a few steps. "Colonel Autumn, still bellyaching about all the times you took it up the ass from your superiors I see."

 _Right, great idea, annoy the man who is holding us prisoner in a cage where we cannot move or defend ourselves. Don't you ever use self preservation, what about me? I'm in this body just as much as you are!_

Autumn moves forward and speaks in a low tone, "I would have you know that you are here only by the good graces of the President himself. He ordered your safe return to the bunker. If it were up to me, I would have melted your sorry carcass into the floor with the rest of those degenerates."

Luther's thoughts start moving at a mile a minute. Autumn said he would have left him with the others, does that mean the others are dead? Even Nick and Tyler? No, they would have made it out, Luther made sure Tyler saw the escape route before the attack came. There is also Autumn's mention of the President, that means that Eden is still in power, just like the radio broadcasts say. "Still taking up the ass."

Autumn smiles coyly and steps back. "You don't fool me, Major. I can tell what you are thinking. Your people are indeed all dead. No one else may be able to read that expressionless face of yours but we were trained by the same man, remember? I have to wonder what Captain Kreger would think of you, he would probably be very proud of the way you followed in his footsteps and fell from power."

 _No, he deserves to die for that! No one insults Kreger!_

"You bastard!" Kreger was the closest thing to a parent Luther had ever really had. Kreger taught him everything he knew, gave him all his morals, even showed him the difference between right and wrong when the man refused to attack Arroyo. Kreger mentored both him and Autumn, and Luther will not stand to hear a foul word about the man. "When I get out of here, and when I see you next, I am going to make sure you die."

Autumn smiles that cocky smile that just makes Luther hate him all the more. "You are not leaving this cell Luther. Oh no. It will make sure you receive all the nutrition you need to stay alive for many more years. Years during which you will witness my rise to power and the destruction of all your degenerate friends."

Luther hides his smile. Arrogant fool, you just told me that Nick and Tyler are still out there. "You got my family killed, you exiled me, and now you insult Kreger. I have dealt with a lot of things up to this point. I have lived with the guilt. Know now, you will pay for what you have been done. I've been expecting this for a long time, and you are going to get yours, I swear it!"

Autumn shakes his head and steps back, folding his arms behind his back. "Strange oaths coming from the man who has, for a second time, betrayed his loved ones. I have to applaud you, Major, we never would have known Project Purity was almost operational if you had not contacted us. It really is a shame you decided to come back to us, I so would have enjoyed seeing you turned into a puddle of plasma residue."

If he could, Luther would be hanging his head. It is true, he told to Enclave about James and Nick's plan to get the project back up and running. He knows Nick will never be able to forgive him, nor will Tyler, and he hopes that he is right and they made it out alive, but this was something he had to do. Project Purity simply will not work without the GECK, and thanks to him, the Enclave is in possession of the only one still left functional. It was his final mission for the Enclave. Go to vault 87, wipe out the inhabitants, retrieve and return the GECK. Only he didn't wipe out everyone, Fawkes helped him and so Luther left him alive. Then he discovered that Autumn had been using his newborn daughter to test strands of the FEV. The girl hadn't even been named yet, and his wife, raped and murdered, by his own people. He went crazy, attacked, and that was all Autumn needed. Then the man was only a Captain, but he managed to frame Luther for the death of both is wife and daughter. Now, if Luther isn't careful, he is going to get his friends killed as well. But he needs to get the GECK away from the Enclave before they use Project Purity to wipe out half the wasteland by poisoning the water.

 _Would getting ride of the mutants be such a bad thing? The Supermutants surely cause enough trouble for you to want them gone permanently. And your daughter's death was in the search for a way to cure all radiation! Just like that girl you saved from the Pit, she wasn't any different! You belong here, saving the wasteland._

Colonel Autumn steps forward and draws out a long baton with a crackling electric tip. "I have been waiting many years for the chance to make you suffer." He slams the baton into Luther's side and electrical bolts sear through his body. All he can do is grit his teeth. "You were always so proud," he hits him again, "always looking down on me," another strike, "always thinking that you were the best the Enclave had to offer!" Autumn strikes him multiple times.

 _Ah, gah! Fucking pain! Just make him stop!_

"Well, now I get to make you suffer for your pride for the rest of you life." He makes to strike again, but is interrupted.

"Colonel Autumn!" Booms a voice from a loudspeaker set into the wall beneath a viewing camera. "I wish to speak with the prisoner, alone!" Luther is treated to a view of Autumn's face twisting in annoyance before the man turns around. That's right, Luther thinks, still taking it up the ass from your betters.

"Mr. President," Autumn's tone is clearly strained, "I was in the middle of getting information of vital importance from our prisoner. I would like to proceed."

"Colonel," the President's tone is patronizing, "I am well aware of what you were doing. Now I wish to speak with you about your un-military like conduct immediately."

Autumn grinds his teeth audibly before saluting, "Yes sir." Autumn leaves with one last furious glance back at Luther.

Luther's eyes glue themselves to the viewing camera which swivels to look in his direction. "You will have to forgive the Colonel, Major, he has been under a great deal of stress these past few months. He has been a pivotal part in our preparations for the final push to ride this area of the foul mutants who live here now. It is good that you have come back to us, we need a soldier like you, now more than ever. That is assuming of course that you are willing to work to pay for your past crimes. We cannot simply let you walk free, of course, nor will you have your former rank, but you will be able to regain all of that once you prove yourself loyal."

Luther swallows hard. "And, what would I have to do to prove that?"

"Why, nothing less than restoring operational status to the GECK." Got you, Luther thinks. "Ever since you sabotaged it, our scientists haven't been able to make it work properly and thus we cannot synthesize the correct serum needed to wipe out the degenerates of the wasteland. Surely you still believe in a better America free from the dangers of radiation?"

 _Yes, a better tomorrow, a better world for everyone! You believe in that!_

Luther attempts to nod, but the cell still holds him in place. "Mr. President, I never abandoned that cause. I simply strayed from the path, but never abandoned."

The containment field around him sizzles and disappears. Luther falls to his knees as gravity once again seizes him. He stands up, shaky at first, but quickly gets his bearings. "In that case, I wish to speak with you face to face. I take it you remember the way?" Luther nods and the door slides open. "Then by all means, join me in my office."

 _You fool! You have already gotten your friends killed with this stupid plan of yours! You heard Autumn, they are dead, dead, dead! Getting yourself killed while trying to retrieve the GECK for a second time will prove nothing! This won't bring your wife or your daughter back to life! You have to rejoin the Enclave! They are the only ones truly interested in making the wasteland better and you fucking know it!_

Maybe so, Luther thinks, but right now, I'm not being rational. I'm not being smart. I am getting revenge, and revenge doesn't care about what happens to others, or to myself. I don't care about the wasteland anymore. All I care about, is making Autumn, Eden, and all the rest of the Enclave burn! Luther looks around at the interior of the underground bunker. Luckily for me, they have already dug their own fucking graves.

* * *

Dogmeat paws at the ground and glances over his shoulder. He lets out an alert bark and runs forward a few more paces before looking back again. The two legs who looks like they are made of metal but are not follow him. "I swear," one non metal two legs says to the other, "he is trying to tell us something."

"Are you sure this is the dog you saw at GNR? Could just be some crazy stray."

"No that's him, has the same intelligence in his eyes. I just can't figure why it is here without his master. the mutt would hardly let anyone near the kid when he was laid up at GNR." Dogmeat barks again and jumps towards them, only to jump away when one of them reaches for him. "Here boy," the one calls, "just let me get a closer look at you."

Dogmeat dances out of the way and runs forward. Behind him he can hear the non metal two legs chasing after him in their metal skins. They are using the angry words that some of his former masters would use when he was forced to fight others like himself. He lets out a long howl and increases his pace. It is not far now, he just has to get the non metal two legs to the covered hole in the ground, then all will be okay.

He stops at the hole and paws at it, trying to dig through the metal again, but like before, it only hurts his pads. The non metal two legs catch up with him and stand there. He cannot see their faces, but he knows they do not understand what he is trying to tell them. He sits down and howls long and mournful, his nose pointed up at the night sky. In the distance, he can still catch the scent of fire from the place that takes bad water and makes it good. His howl spent he again paws at the metal covered hole.

"I think, he wants us to open up the sewer grate."

"Why would he want that?"

"Who knows, lets just humor the thing so it will shut up." One of the non metal two legs bends down and easily removes the metal covering the hole. Dogmeat moves to the edge and barks excitedly. Below his barking echos back at him, making him think for a moment that there is another like him down there. Then the sound of gunfire and the hissing of the two legs who are filled with radiation echo back up to them. The two non metal two legs let out sounds of surprise before jumping down the hole.

Dogmeat hears them join the fighting and he nervously circles the hole, wishing there was a way for him to get down and help his master. He knows that his master's dangers position is his fault. If he hadn't been sleeping outside the place that takes bad water and makes it good, and if he hadn't gotten scared when the giant metal birds came from the sky and run off, then his master would be safe right now. Minutes pass and then there is silence in the hole. He stands at the edge and barks fearfully at the darkness below. He begins to panic and is about to leap down, when the head of a two leg appears and climbs up the ladder to the surface.

He starts barking excitedly as more and more two legs emerge from the hole. Then the two legs who is like an alpha but is not and smells like rotten meat emerges from the hole with the master on his back! Dogmeat howls in happiness as his master kneels down next to him and rubs his fur, pressing his two leg face into his. "Thank you Dogmeat, you saved us."

 **So there it is, the cat is finally out of the bag all the way. I have been inching and inching my way forward to this chapter, and finally decided that Luther's past was shrouded in too much mystery and too many lies. Even some of the stories they told Nick early on in the story about how they meet were lies, read Dusty Old Stories for the truth, but there it is. Luther is Enclave. I'm sure many of you guessed that already, but know you know for sure. As for Autumn, I always thought that his character in the game needed more humanity behind it, he just seemed like he could be a really cool character but had no history in game, so I decided to give him his own personal vendetta in my story. Things are nearing their conclusion and I am going to ask you guys opinion, should I include the DLC Broken Steel into the plot of this story. Let me know, leave a review, and thanks for sticking with me this far!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Okay, skipping forward here again, don't worry, still going to get plenty of plot and character development, I think.**

Chapter 26

Nick is angry. Not the frothing rage that Tyler sometimes gets while in combat. No, it is more of a seething fire that simply refuses to die out, no matter how long it burns. The Brotherhood of Steel, the supposed good guys, refused to help him. They claim that so long as the Purifier can't work, then there is no need to pursue reclaiming it from the Enclave, Nick still does not see how it is a good idea to allow your enemy to hold a base right on your front doorstep though. That aside, Luther is missing, Tyler is injured and receiving treatment at the Citadel, and now he has received a distress message from Amata in vault 101! No rest for the fucking damned.

He ducks into the well hidden cave door where the vault is hidden. He activates his pipboy light and walks slowly through the darkness. During his escape, he didn't notice all the skeletons littering the cave floor. Some of them have wooden signs in their hands. Some of the signs look like they are pre-war, but others seem more recent. Considering what his Father told him, it isn't unlikely that these people were petitioning entrance back when the vault was open to the surface for a short time. Damn the Overseer and his fucking desire for the perfect society!

Nick steps up the massive steel door and glares at the 101 proudly painted on its exterior. He enters Amata's name into the nearby control panel. He knows there is a camera somewhere and looks around for it, eventually spotting it in the upper left side of the vault door. He flicks it off as he presses enter and the door slides open with that screeching sound of meal scrapping against metal. He steps through and is instantly hit with a sensation of nostalgia. This was his home. The place where he grew up. It does not matter if they are happy or sad memories, this was his home, but no more. He shakes off the feeling and approaches the first door. Just as he is about to open it he thinks he hears something on the other side. He draws his assault rifle and flips off the safety.

Kicking open the door he leaps through with his weapon raised. A shot is fired off next to his head along with the shout of, "Don't move!" He reacts by spinning and slamming the stock of his rifle into the gut of the security officer standing there. The officer doubles over and Nick easily takes the weapon from him. "Look," the man gasps, "I don't know how you got in here, but I suggest you leave right now." The fact that the man is trying to intimidate him ticks Nick off even more.

Nick holds up the mans pistol and proceeds to take it apart expertly. He drops the useless pieces to the floor and pockets the full magazine of 10mm rounds. "I got in the same way I got out."

The officer lifts the mask on his helmet and Nick thinks he recognizes him. The man stares at him, and for some reason Nick lets him. The man's expression goes from fear, to wonder, to surprise, and then back to fear. "Oh god," he mutters, "its you. I, we, you are supposed to be dead!"

Nick finally recalls the man's name, Officer Gomez. One of the only adults from his time in the vault who treated him with any decency. "Gomez," he growls, stepping forward menacingly, "where is Amata? I swear if any of you have hurt her in any way there is nowhere you will be able to hide from me!"

Officer Gomez's face goes pale. "Amata? Well, I suppose she is down with the rest of the rebels. A lot has changed since you left. It would probably be best, if you talked to them about it. Lucky for you its me you ran into, the others would have killed you, or tried."

Nick glares at Gomez and jerks his head to the side, motioning for him to lead on. The disarmed officer stumbles forward and leads Nick through a few halls and some doors. This is not the way Nick came when he escaped, and does not recognize where they are until they emerge into the atrium. The first thing Nick notices is that a makeshift barricade has been set up in the atrium's center. He is impressed by how well it could command the comings and goings of everyone in the vault. A gunshot causes him to raise his rifle. Some old man who he can't remember is aiming at the opposite end of the atrium where Paul, one of Butch's Tunnel Snakes, is scrambling back down into the lower levels.

The old man turns to Nick and Gomez with a shaking hand and the pistol still raised. "You saw that right? He just came at me. I had to shoot." Nick steps forward and slaps the gun out of the man's shaking hand. "What the hell!"

Nick shoves the man and growls, "You should not be holding a gun if you can't hit someone who is that close to you, let alone if you can't even lift the damn thing!" The old man's eyes appraise Nick, taking in his tattered clothes, bloodstained armor, and overall wasteland appearance.

"You," he hisses through clinched teeth, "you shouldn't be here. Because of you and your Father my wife is dead! She had a heart attack when the vault went into lock down and was eaten by radroaches!"

Nick does not care. He turns back to Gomez, "I know the way from here, I suggest you warn the rest of your security buddies what if they cause any trouble with me they will pay for it."

Gomez shakes his head. "You've changed. Not for the better. I hope you can talk Amata out of this little rebellion, or at least get her to speak with her Father about it. This needs to end and soon." Nick mostly ignores him and descends further into the vault. At first, he just follows the overturned furniture, but then he passes the apartment he once shared with his Father. Not really knowing why, he steps in and looks around. The place is essentially the same, which is to say there is nothing special about it. He walks into his old room and looks around again. He is surprised to see that some of his old things are still here. He reaches down and picks up the sturdy baseball bat someone gave him and he never used. He can't believe he left this behind, it could have saved his life. He recalls the shitty bat he found when he first left the vault and the way it splintered during his first ever raider attack, figures really.

He reaches over his shoulder and shoves the bat into his pack. He turns to leave again, but notices the small framed passage sitting on his old desk. He picks it up and reads it out loud. "I am alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him who that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life, freely." He undoes the back of the frame and takes the little paper out. Before his Father, before the Purifier, James talked to him about this. He said it was his Mother's favorite passage from something called the bible. With a shrug he rolls the paper up and slips it into his pocket.

It isn't hard to find the rebels base, all he has to do is follow the scent of hair gel and he is led right to Butch. At first, Butch doesn't seem to realize that his hiding place is shit and seems to think he can jump out and ambush Nick. Nick slips past him with ease and taps him on the shoulder. Butch screams and whirls around, swinging a knife through the air. Nick grabs his arm and takes the knife out of the idiot's hands. "You shouldn't play with sharp objects," he growls, pressing the knife against Butch's throat, "you might cut yourself." Butch's eyes go wide and he stammers a few sentences. Nick steps back and flips the knife around in his hand before offering it back to Butch, "Keep it, but don't go using it unless you know how."

He turns his back and is about to step into the medical offices, when Butch finally finds his words. "I always knew you were some sort of freak."

Nick stops and turns around slowly. He locks eyes with Butch and glares at the boy until he squirms in his own skin. He steps closer to him and whispers in a low tone, "You were right. So tell me, what part of your self preservation says it is a good idea to kick the scary monster carrying the big gun?" The push the point he lifts his assault rifle and puts it against Butch's chest. Butch swallows nervously. "I am here to save you and this little rebellion," Nick continues, "don't push your luck."

Before the idiot can respond in any way Nick walks away. The door to the medical area slides open and everyone inside turns to him. They all let out a collective gasp at the sight of the man standing there. Nick glares at them searching the room for Amata. The door to the offices opens and she steps through, here eyes locked on his, but the look in her eyes says she does not fully believe it is him. He holsters his rifle and holds his hands out to either side of himself to show that he isn't a threat, not right now at least. "I got your message." She starts walking towards him. "What is going on down here?" Her pace doubles. "Amata?" She launches herself through the air at him and out of instinct he prepares for a fight. Instead he gets her arms wrapped around him and her face buried in his neck.

"God Nicky, I missed you." He stands there for a second, unsure how to react, but then he relaxes and hugs her back. He had forgotten the way she smells, clean, like vanilla. She steps back and seems to realize that everyone is staring at them in confusion. "Everyone," she addresses the whole crowd, "this is Nick, he is back." The expressions of surprise on their faces makes Nick feel like a freak show again. "He survived on the surface, so can we." Nick tenses again. No. No way in hell is he going to allow her to go up there and be destroyed by the wasteland. Amata turns and smiles at him. He makes a promise to himself, of all the times he as fucked up, of all the loss he has experienced, he will not loose her.

 **Ah, Nick. So much pain, and so much more to come.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hey everyone, just fyi, there will eventually be a sequel to this story, and then maybe another, not sure about that part. Anyway, enjoy!**

Chapter 27

Sarah walks through the door, proudly wearing her initiates uniform. Her platinum hair is tied up in a tight bun and there is still sweat clinging to her forehead. At first she tries to keep a serious face, but a smile appears as soon as Tyler looks over at her and nods his head. "I did it!" she all but squeals! "I passed my initiation tests!"

Tyler beams and holds open his arms to his little sis. She laughs and runs to him, leaping through the air and enveloping him in a bear hug. "Ha ha," he laughs poudly, "I told you that you would do fine. You worry far too much." He releases her and steps back with the smile still on his face. "You told the old man yet?"

"No," she laughs, "but I figure he knows already. He hears about everything that happens here." She turns on her heal and bounces out of the room, still smiling like a little kid. Tyler laughs at her and sits back down at the table. He turns back to his squad to find them all grinning at him like jackals.

"What?" he demands.

"Nothing," snickers Lieutenant Gears, "bibro."

Tyler glowers at them as they all laugh at the pet name his little sister used to use for him. "Attention!" All of his men immediately straighten up in their seats and stop laughing. Their faces take on the stone-like masks of soldiers. "As members of the Lions Pride, you men are better than the best of the Brotherhood. I make no attempt to involve myself in your private lives, and I expect the same level of respect from you, is that understood?"

"Sir yes sir!" They chant in unison.

"Now," Tyler declairs as he pulls his rations towards himself, "I do believe there is a large stretch of wall up there that has no one running it at this moment. I want you lot to get up there and give the wall some company. About thirty laps of company. Dismissed." The members of the Pride rise from their seats and file out of the room in rank. Gears takes the lead and starts up the training chant they use to keep in step while drilling out on the field.

Once they are out of the room, Tyler's stern face is split by another smile and he tucks in with his rations. He runs his troops hard, but that is what makes them so dependable. His reputation as a hard assed commander is well earned, and he intends to uphold it for as long as possible. ask any of the soldiers not under his command, and they would tell you that he is a bastard who is way to strict. Ask any of his actual troops, and they will tell you just how lenient he is, but that such leniency comes at the price of devotion and discipline.

He knows his men, not something every officer can claim. He trusts them, treats them the same way his family treats him. They are his brothers and sisters, he would die for them ten times over. At the same time, he sure as hell does enjoy sending them to running early in the morning.

Finishing up his rations he walks over to the quartermaster and pulls some strings. Exiting the C ring he walks up the stairs leading to the top of the wall and waits for his men to reach him. He hails them over and the move in his direction, coming to a stop in perfect formation. He inspects the line for a second, "At ease." They move to the relaxed position and he smiles at them. "Soldiers, I know we have all learned a valuable lesson this morning."

"Sir yes sir!"

"Good, now relax and and have some fancy lads cakes." he reveals the snacks and his men all break out in laughter again and relax. Tyler distributes the sweet cakes and toasts his sister Sarah, a toast all of his men join in on. "To Sarah, to the Brotherhood, to the Pride!"

* * *

Tyler opens his eyes and releases a pent up breath he hadn't realized he was holding in. He studies the horizon from the walls of the Citadel and lets out a deep sigh. There are a lot of memories in this place. Plenty of good and bad. Behind him some knights are on patrol. He can't make out all of what they say, but he gets enough to figure out what they mean. They are talking about him. About his failure and how he went violent and became a junkie. They are also wondering why the hell he is being allowed to stay, something he has wondered about himself.

He recalls the attack on the purifier, and the frantic escape through the hatch Luther showed him, but he does not recall entering the Citadel. The surgeon who patched him up claims that he passed out due to sever radiation poisoning and wanted to know if he got to close to something in the escape tunnels. Tyler could only laugh at the man. He didn't reveal that he is a ghoul, hell, he has barely spoken a word to anyone, which is fine with him. He has spotted Sarah at least twice, and both times she has avoided him. He has also seen his father, but that his a confrontation he actually wants to have.

Speaking with his estranged family is part of the reason he is standing up here, looking out over the water towards the Jefferson Memorial where he can just barely see Enclave soldiers moving around the facility. A few hours ago he sent messages to both Elder Lyons and his sister. Neither have shown yet, and he is beginning to suspect that neither will. "You have some nerve Tyler."

He squeezes his eyes shut and lowers his head at the sound of the voice. It used to be so sweet, so full of the energy of youth and innocence. Now it is cold and harsh. Without turning or opening his eyes he responds, "I know you don't want to hear any apologies, you made that clear back at GNR, but will you at least listen to why I called you up here?"

Behind him he hears Sarah move up to stand beside him. He still does not look at her. "I will listen, nothing more."

"That is all I can ask really." He lapses into a short silence as he gathers his thoughts. "I don't know how much you have been told about the mission that got my entire squad killed, maybe they told you it was all a giant accident, or that it was a trap. No matter what you have heard, it is all bullshit. The real reason the mission went wrong and all my people died is me. I ordered them to stand their ground while I retrieved some technical documents detailing the construction of a massive war machine, one I'm sure you know well by now. I gave the command, I sacrificed my people for the betterment of the Brotherhood and the wasteland, and I have to carry that blame alone."

"Elder Lyons tried to make it easier by naming me a hero and filing a report that was total bullshit. It didn't help, if anything it made things worse. I lay awake every night and see their faces, heard their screams over the communications in my helmet. There was no way to escape their deaths, no place to hide from their screams, except through the chems. I discovered that taking a hit of jet or psycho let me sleep, and eventually I didn't care about what the rest of the Brotherhood thought any more. I became the junkie that everyone sees me as now. There is no moral to this story, no happy ending, but I through you at least deserved the truth."

"I have seen the way you command your people, you are good, better than I ever was. They respect you, which is far better than them liking you. Don't take advantage of that. Don't ignore how much they mean to you. I may be your family by shared blood, but they are your family by spilled blood, and that bond is even tighter than anything you will ever have again." He goes quiet and finally opens his eyes again. He lifts his gaze to the Memorial across the water and can almost feel an Enclave gun to his head.

"They are going to attack us." They way she says it, it clearly isn't a question. Tyler nods his head yes. "Then we need to be ready. We need to strike first, but Father won't risk trying to hold the purifier unless it is active, and that won't work without a GECK."

Tyler lowers his head again. "Unfortunately, the only GECK left in the Capital is in the hands of the Enclave."

* * *

Luther ascends the last set of stairs and stands before the massive computer screen that is President John Henry Eden. He glares, but isn't sure that a monitor can pick up on facial expressions. "You wanted to speak with me?" Blood is dripping down the side of his arm from a long and deep cut from a deathclaw attack a few minutes ago. After Eden let him out of his cell, Autumn went crazy and ordered the whole base to hunt him down and kill him. Luther, having once been one of the Enclave's best, easily avoided most of the fighting, but was forced to improvise in a few situations. Situations such as being pinned down by gatling lasers and then releasing a deathclaw with a mind control device attached to its head.

"I am sorry for this mess, Major, but it would seem that the Colonel has decided I am no longer fit for duty. It is a shame really, I did enjoy our little evening chats together. Now then, on to business. I am sure that by now you realize that opposing us would not work out all that well. So I hope that you will at least consider lending us your aid, if not your allegiance."

Luther sneers, "Why in the hell should I help you? What has the Enclave ever done for me or the wasteland? Besides wage war on defenseless vault dwellers?"

"Now, now Major, lets now get hostile. The soldiers still looking for you in the lower levels of this base are hostile enough. You are correct though, up until now the Enclave has been incredibly docile in its dealings with the outside world. That has changed. It changed when I launched a full scale occupation of the Capital. As we speak, Enclave shock troopers are setting up outposts all across the DC area. Yet even that will be useless without the aid of the purifier. Now is where you come in Major."

"I want you to deliver a serum that we have developed to the purifier and insert it into the water systems. This serum is a product of our studies with the FEV, something I am sure you have familiarity with. It will effectively target all irradiated monstrosities in the Wastelands while leaving uncorrected civilians completely safe. A miracle of science is it not?"

A port opens in Eden's monitor and serum vial ejects. Luther tentatively reaches down and takes it. He turns the vial over and over in his hands. This small amount of liquid has the capacity to whip out half the residents of the Capital Wasteland. It will kill the Supermutants, the ghouls, any and all creatures out there, and it would even kill any normal humans who just happen to be a little irradiated. The implications are hard to think about. This serum could usher in a new era of peace, or it could destroy everything all over again. Peace. He chuckles a few times. Then he laughs, and then he is roaring. "You think, you can end the problems of the world Eden? You can't. Humanity always finds a way to fuck things up again. You want peace, but I assure you, it will never happen, not so long as there are still people alive. Want to know why? Because ever since our ancestors discovered that rock and bone can kill, we have killed in the name of everything! War, peace, freedom, liberty, even simple psychotic rage. The way war has been waged has changed, oh yes, but one thing has not. Through all the ages, one simple truth remains. War, war never changes! Authorization code 420-03-20-9."

Eden's monitor freezes up and for a moment nothing happens, and then the whole facility begins to detonate. Luther stashes the serum in his coat and turn on his heal towards the exit. He sprints through the destruction, pushing aside panicked Enclave faculty as he goes. Shrapnel and fire explode across his path, but he does not slow down. Nearby a fully armored Enclave soldiers ejects himself from his burning armor and grabs a fire extinguisher. Luther shots the panicked man in the head and puts the flames out on the armor. He leaps into the suit and it powers up almost immediately. With the added strength of the power armor, he forces his way through the rubble of Raven Rock.

A beam falls from the ceiling and crushes half of the armor's helmet. Luther reaches up and tears the useless head gear away and continues forward. As he passes a viewing pannel, he stops just long enough to see Autumn leap into a vertibird and take off into the air. Luther curses the damn man and runs towards the escape. He pulls the activation switch to open the surface exit, but nothing happens. He yells in frustration and begins pounding on the door with his now armored fists. The door dents a little, but nothing else happens. An explosion goes off behind him and the force of it slams his head into the door. His vision swims and he feels blood dripping down his face.

He sways backwards, but the power armor keeps him upright. He shakes his head to clear it and again tries the activation switch. This time the door groans and begins to slide open. He grabs the seam and pushes the door to make it go faster. When there is just enough room he rushes through. Stumbling down the hill he is treated to a view of the side of a mountain exploding outwards in multiple different places. The sound of a gatling laser causes him to duck, but the weapon is not being fired at him. He looks around, and spots a hulking mutant happily mowing down Enclave soldiers. Luther stumbles towards the mutant, his mind no longer thinking straight.

The mutant turns to him and starts to fire, but stops. It approaches him and roars something, but the throbbing in Luther's head makes it impossible for him t understand. The mutant gabs his shoulders and shouts in his face. "My friend, I do not think this to be a good place to be standing!" That voice. It can't be. How in the hell did he find him. Fawkes. You are a saint. You are a guardian angel.

 **There you are, another addition to the story. I am trying to get as much closure for each of the characters as I can. The next chapter will be Nick all the way. Hope you guys enjoyed. We are getting close to the end now, can you feel it? Leave a review or a critique. Thanks!**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Nick examines his reflection in the mirror. There is a man looking back at him, a man he does not recognize. In his mind, he recalls the face of a young boy. A boy with a round face and sad but innocent eyes. A boy with short well kept dirty blonde hair. A boy who could easily have passed through life in a normal un-interesting way. A boy who never could have killed anyone. Yet the man in the mirror lingers, glaring out at him. This man's eyes are haunted, sunk deep into his skull with dark circles around them. Icy blue eyes, cold, calculating, and cynical. This man's face is gaunt, all the fat melted away by the trials of the wasteland. His complexion is lined, his hair long and tangled, his beard thick and full, making him look older than he actually is. His body is that of a man's, hard, lean, and covered in more than a few wounds and scars.

The man looking out at him frightens Nick, it makes him wonder who he is, what happened to him to make him look that way. He knows that the boy he remembers would have been scared stiff by this man. He knows that this man has killed, will kill, and does kill, without thought. This man is dangerous. Nick knows that this man is responsible for many things, but above all, he is responsible for killing the boy. Nick knows that his man, this vision of death, is the reason the boy is all but forgotten now. This man killed the boy and left his body to rot somewhere in the wasteland. Nick should be sad at the boy's passing, but he isn't. All he can think about is the man who did the deed, how he feels no remorse. Nick may miss the boy on some level, but this man is something he can use. This man is the perfect person, the perfect killer, this man is who Nick has become, and he finds that he likes what he sees. The only part of the boy that is still present, is the part that feels for Amata and the vault.

Nick slowly walks up to the Overseer's office. His steps are measured and he his body language gives off a calm and collected feel. His weapons are gone, and he has removed his armor, leaving him in his simple clothes and the worn leather jacket that used to have a tunnel snakes patch on it. Days up on the surface have worn the path off now. He thinks back to Amata's lips pressed against his, her warm body hugged against him. An entire night where she was his and his alone. He never realized she cared for him in that way. Now he has to make sure that the two of them can continue to care for each other.

He is trying to find a solution. A way to make sure that the vault stays safe but is also given freedom. He wants Amata to stay down here, where she is protected, but he also wants her to be happy. He wants the vault dwellers to know the truth about the surface, and to know enough to remain hidden on their own, but he doesn't want to scare them into isolation again. It seems all of his thoughts are chasing themselves around and around in circles. He reaches down and Dogmeat lifts his head to be scratched. Originally he ordered the canine to stay up on the surface as he was unsure about how the vault inhabitants would react. This morning however he found himself in need of company as he arranged his thoughts, so he snuck back up to the vault door and let his friend in.

Dogmeat growls affectionately as Nick rubs his ears and it makes Nick smile. Dogmeat is one of the few good things to come out of the wasteland. The world above doesn't have many redeeming factors, but every now and then something comes along that is at least decent. He arrives at the Overseer's office and hesitates. The last time he and the Overseer saw one another, Nick was beating in the head of a vault security member who had been torturing Amata. He knew Amata had a gun, but also that she would never have been able to get over it if she had used it. That night Nick had already killed, so he sucked it up and killed again. there is no telling how the Overseer will react to him. The man surely knows he is here, but still.

Taking a steadying breath, he opens the door and steps through. The office is in disarray. Papers are scattered all over, covering nearly ever surface. Boxes of ammo sit on the desk, some open and spilling bullets out onto the floor. A few pistols and some batons lie discarded in the corner of the room. The light above the desk flickers and blinks, appearing to have been shot. The Overseer is standing at the large circular observation window that looks out over the vault atrium. The man's body is rigid and his hands are clasped behind his back. Nick steps into the room and crosses his arms, waiting for the Overseer to acknowledge him.

"Look at this." The Overseer motions to the atrium beyond the window. "Our peaceful existence has been shattered. We have sunk into chaos and anarchy. Are you aware that people have died? By now Amata will have told you that the vault was not always sealed, that we once were in contact with the surface. Having experienced the world above for yourself, tell me, do you honestly think it would be best for us to again resume our previous arrangement?" The Overseer turns to Nick and and glares at him hatefully. "It doesn't matter. I will not allow it! I sealed the vault for the safety of us all! I never should have opened it to allow your father and you, his bastard child, into my home!"

Nick doesn't become angry, that would only be giving the Overseer what he wan'ts, but beside him Dogmeat does let out a low warning growl.. Instead Nick approaches the atrium window. The Overseer retreats at Nick's approach, clearly expecting a fight. Nick just looks out the window at the atrium where the barricade is constructed. He can see some of the rebels in the halls leading to their base, he can see the vault security on the other side, all are ready for whatever the outcome of this conversation is. Nick lets out a heavy sigh and turns to the Overseer. "You are right."

"I knew you would never understand! You and your Father have always..." The Overseer trails off as he realizes that Nick is arguing with him. "What," he asks suspiciously, "do you mean by that?"

Nick points out the window. "This was my home. All this pain, this devastation, it tears me apart. I never wanted to be a burden, I never chose this life, yet here I am and here you are, both of us forced to play the same game, only we may no longer be on opposite sides." Nick turns away and looks out the window again. "I have seen the surface. I have changed who I am. If not for the reports of your officers, you would not have even recognized me. I was never meant for the vault, that much is clear to me now. I do not agree with your keeping secrets, but you must step down."

The Overseer walks towards his desk and Nick follows, watching the man's movements in case he tries to go for a weapon. "Why should I step down? I have only ever worked for the betterment of the vault and all its residents. Do you know that 101 was meant to preserve the past? We were supposed to make sure that if the world above ever did become livable again that it would have decent people to live in it. We are a control group, an entire vault, un-corrupted by outside forces. My predecessors changed that, but I put us down the right path again. We have survived this long because of me!"

Nick folds his arms across his chest. "Not any more. You have lost control." Nick reaches into his pocket and takes out a holotape. "I found this in the security offices. It details how your own men were going to disobey your orders not to attack the rebels. They intended to make an example out of them. Do you really think that after this one rebellion things will just go back to the way they were? No, after the people realize they have power they will never give it up. I have seen it more than once before. Things will never be the same, Overseer, but you can ensure that the future is at least a little brighter. Step down, let someone else become Overseer. You know who is best for the position."

The Overseer's face clouds over as he thinks. Perspiration appears on his forehead as he physically struggles to accept Nick's words. The man's arm lashes out and grabs a gun, planting it between Nick's eyes. Dogmeat barks angrily and makes to leap at the Overseer, but Nick grabs the dog by his collar and hods him down. Nick does not move, he holds the lashing dog, and his eyes are devoid of emotion. He doesn't even flinch. The seconds tick by, more and more the Overseer sweats and soon starts to shake. The hand holding the gun trembles. Finally his arm falls and his head lowers with a heavy sigh. "You are right. I have failed."

Nick reaches out and takes the gun from the Overseer, the man offers no resistance. Nick holds out the weapon and removes the magazine. "You never wanted to hurt anyone." He shows the empty weapon to the Overseer, he shows him how it was never loaded. Nick had made a gamble, and it paid off. "Jonas, the others, all that happened in the moment. You never intended for anyone to die, but they did. Now it is time to take that burden off your shoulders. Let someone else worry about it. Let someone else lead the vault into the future."

"I know who must lead us. Please, follow me." The Overseer walks out of the room, his head still hung, defeated. Nick follows the man down to the atrium where he orders all the security to stand down and accompany him. The rebels waiting beyond the barricade make way as he approaches, falling into line as the group moves to the rebels base. When they arrive, Amata is standing out in the hall with her supporters. Her face is set and Nick fells his chest fill with pride at how brave she is being. "Amata," the Overseer states, "It has come to my attention that I, I am no longer fit to lead this vault. As Overseer, I an renouncing all of my claims to power and transferring control to you, as of now, you are the Overseer. You will shape our future, and it will be a bright one." Without a word the man turns, and walks away.

for a moment there is silence, and then the rebels break out into cheers. Many of the security force joins in, but some slip away to sulk. Nick makes his way through the crowd, searching for Amata, who has somehow disappeared. Eventually he finds her at the back of the clinic. He grabs her and lifts her off the ground in joy. "You did it! You saved them!"

He puts her down and leans in to kiss her, but she pulls away, a strange expression in here eyes. She takes his hand. "I am sorry," she states, loud enough for anyone nearby to hear. "There are too many people here who still blame you for everything that happened. You are a hero, but you have to leave."

Here words cut through him easier than a deathclaw. He stares at her in silent shock. Inside every last remnant of the boy he once was finally passes away, leaving only the man from the mirror. He wants to speak, to yell, to demand an answer, but the truth is staring him right in the face. She didn't care. She used him. He was a tool in her rise to power. She called him back because he was the only one capable enough and dumb enough to follow through with it, and now she doesn't need him anymore and he is a threat. So she is casting him off. His face hardens into a solid line. Amata's eyes tear up as she watches him. "I'm sorry," she whimpers, "please believe that I don't want to do this." Her arms are still on his shoulders, and he finds he cannot stand the touch any more.

He moves away from her. His eyes bore into hers, conveying his anger, his hate, but above all, his hurt. Betrayal. It exists even here, in the place he once thought of as his home. No, this place was never his home. Amata was never his. He has nothing, belongs nowhere. He is an outcast in every possible way. He turns his back on her. He moves out of the room and through the celebrating crowd. Upon seeing him, most people move out of the way, those who done are pushed aside. Amata chases after him. "Please," she begs, "You have to understand. Say that you understand. I don't want to do this to you, but I have to. I believe that you would never cause any more harm, but others won't."

Nick stops, but does not turn around. The area has fallen silent as all stop to hear his words, to witness the Overseer and the man who lead the coup. "I understand. You have no more need of me. I am a threat. I am dangerous. I attack and kill people." Beside him Dogmeat growls at her and the fur on his spine lifts up. "I don't belong here, It was a dream Amata, I should have known better than to ever believe in the dream. You know what they say, the child is just like the parent. Seems it applies to both of us."Amata gasps at the harshness in his voice and recoils from him.

He turns and walks away, whistling sharply to make sure Dogmeat follows. He returns to the room the rebels set him up with and quickly pulls on his armor. He takes all the rations stored in the nearby fridge and pushes them into his pack. The room is well supplied and he decides to strip it of any and everything he can carry with him. He shoulders his weapons and looks around the room, nothing left but the mattress and some dirt. Good.

He makes his way up through the vault. Word of his spat with Amata must have spread quickly because everyone gets out of his way. Some people mutter apologies, others say good riddance. He barely notices any of them. He reaches the vault door and punches in the code to open it, only nothing happens. He growls and takes the jack out of his pipboy and plugs it in to the console for direct control. The pipboy codes the controls and starts the uploading process, he taps his foot impatiently as it works. "I changed the code."

He turns his head to see Amata standing there with her arms crossed. He face is downcast and she has obviously been crying. He wants to go to her, wipe the tears away and hold her in his arms, but he cannot get past the searing anger burning inside him. "What is it?" his voice is curt and Amata flinches at the sound of it.

Amata takes a tentative step forward and Dogmeat lets out a warning snarl. She freezes in her tracks and looks at the dog in fear. "I just, I wanted to make sure I could say goodbye to you." Nick turns away and looks back at his pipboy, the upload is almost done. "Last time we were hear," Amata continues, "you asked me to come to the surface with you. I wanted to, but I knew that I would be needed down here. You saved my life that night, I don't know what my Father would have done in his anger. When you left, I cried. I missed you so bad. Every night after I barely slept because I wast thinking about you, wondering if you were still alive, if you still cared."

The door starts to open and Nick disconnects his pipboy. He turns to Amata and glares at her, "Fuck you." His voice is low and barely sounds angry, but it strikes her like a whip. "I pray to whatever fucked up deity guides the wasteland that a group of raiders invade this hole the very first time you open these doors. Hell isn't beneath us, it is up there. I will take pleasure in the knowledge that you have willingly tossed your people into it." He turns away and walks out the vault door for the second time in his life. The last part of the boy he was finally curls up and accepts his fate. He makes not protest, no, he seems to almost welcome it. The man watches the boy die, and feels nothing. Nick feels nothing.

Behind him he hears Amata say something, "The code, I changed it to your name." Nick ignores her and pulls the switch from outside the door to make sure it closes behind him. As he makes his way past the dead in the cavern, he feels something shift and change inside of him. His heart. it is as if it has started to beat with a new tempo. He feels strange, older, more powerful. He pushes open the wooden cave door and steps out into the light of the surface. He reaches down and pets Dogmeat's head. In the distance he can make out the Washington Memorial. The vault is closed to him for good now. He can never, no, will never go back, even if they do somehow managed to survive with their door open.

He sets his jaw and sets off towards the Brotherhood's Citadel. His Father died trying to make his home a better place, Nick will be damned if he is going to let that sacrifice be ignored by the rest of the world. He will take back the Purifier, even if he has to tear off each and Every Enclave soldiers head one by one to do it.

* * *

Luther walks past Megaton and looks to the Washington Memorial. Behind him Fawkes readies the gatling laser he has taken to using. "Fawkes, my old friend," Luther speaks, "I hope you are ready for a war."

* * *

Tyler steps into his old suit of power armor and flexes his arms, making sure that everything moves correctly. He may not be able to get the entire Brotherhood to fight alongside him, but Sarah has promised the Pride if it does come to a fight. Tyler knows that it will come to that. No matter what Elder Lyons, his Father, may say. A fight is coming. He will be ready.

 **Here it comes. The finale. Can you feel it?**


	29. Chapter 29

**Here it is, the final push, the big battle. It has been a long road, and I thank you all for sticking with it this far.**

Chapter 29

Luther comes into sight of the Citadel and lifts his hands above his head. Fawkes follows his lead. A Knight approaches cautiously. "Identify yourself!"

 _They are going to kill us!_

"My name is Luther. I am a friend to Paladin Tyler Lyons. I have retrieved the technology needed for the purifier to work. I also have crippled the Enclave's main base of operations. They will be reading for retaliation right now. You have to get ready for war."

"Luther!" Luther looks up to see Tyler sprininting towards him in full power armor, his helmet held in his hand. "Damn, what happened to you? I thought the Enclave melted you into a puddle or something. Fawkes, good to see you as well, you will be needed in the coming fight. Its going to be a damn good one."

 _Lucky you have friends in high places._ Shut, the, fuck, up. If I hear one more word from you I will blow our fucking brains out, Luther thinks to himself. He is surprised when the voice actually listens and shuts up.

Luther shakes his head. "They took me captive. I managed to break out and Fawkes helped me escape from the explosion that destroyed their base in Raven Rock caverns. Their President, Eden, is dead. Autumn, the second in command, will have seized control by now and moved the rest of his forces to the Purifier. Only stragglers are left out in the wastes."

Tyler nods his head, "There has been an increase in movement over there. Elder Lyons still refuses to make any moves without more data though."

"Sir," the Knight who questioned Luther speaks, "this man claims to have some form of tech that will activate the purifier. If the Enclave knows he has it, then it is likely they will assume he is coming here. We could be attacked at any moment."

Tyler nods, "Luther, Fawkes, come with me. Nick is inside arguing with the Elder. He showed up just a few hours ago, I don't know where he went or what happened, but something has gotten him all riled up and spitting fire. He all but tore down our front gait." Luther falls into step with Tyler and Fawkes follows after them.

"Fawkes," he says over his shoulder, "you probably know that these people are not friendly towards Supermutants, er metahumans, so just stay calm and don't make any sudden movements."

"Of course my friend, I have watched these soldiers for a distance. They are noble of heart and strong of arm, I would not willingly make an enemy of them. Luther nodes and follows Tyler. He is relieved they were not shot on sight, seeing as he is still wearing the Enclave power armor. His fusion core is almost dead, but hopefully they will be able to replace it once they get inside.

* * *

Nick glares at the old man and Sarah, "I don't give a damn how foolish you may think it is. The Enclave is a threat to the entire Capital Wasteland and you have let them move in on your fucking doorstep! They attacked what is likely the most valuable source of technology in the area and you just sit by! Your order claims to be all about protecting people and technology yet you do nothing to protect either!"

"How dare you insult us!" Elder Lyon retorts, "We have sacrificed hundreds of lives to keep the supermutant population down. We have been fighting a war for peace since before you even came to the surface. I know all about who you are and who your Father was. While I am sorry at his passing, I cannot sanction a full scale attack simply because you lost someone dear to you."

"It isn't about that! This is about saving the fucking Wasteland from people who are murderers and psychopaths!"

"He has a point, Elder," Sarah adds, "The Enclave is very much a threat. Their patrols in the wasteland have attacked our men more than once. Their technology is far superior to ours. Can we really allow them to operate so close to our own home?"

"I will not risk open war!"

"War is here, if you are willing to risk it or not does not matter!" They all turn to see Tyler, Luther, and a massive supermutant in a ripped vault suit enter the room.

"Shit!" Nick shouts, reaching for his pistol. Luther leaps forward and grabs his arm.

"Relax Nick, he is with us."

"Greetings friend." Nick stares at the mutant, he can't remember having ever heard one talk before. He looks between Luther and Tyler, and the both nod. He relaxes and puts his gun away.

He watches as Luther tuns to the Elder. "The Enclave is mobilizing. They are getting ready for a full on assault on the Citadel. While we were on our way here they landed artillery at the Purifier. There is no more doubt that they do not plan on allowing you to continue living. Whats more, we now have something they want very badly. Fawkes?" The mutant steps forward and places a metal case on the table. "This is the Garden of Eden Creation Kit, or GECK. This is the missing piece of the Purifier. This is what is needed to make it work. Tell me now that it isn't worth it to fight to regain something that could supply the Capital with fresh drinking water for years."

Elder Lyons looked between the faces of all the people present, his gaze lingering on Fawkes for more than a few seconds. Nick silently urged the man go finally get the Brotherhood off its lazy ass and into action. The Elder lets out a resigned sigh, "Very well, but you are going to need some support, and more than what just our infantry can offer." He turns to Sarah, "Paladin, assemble your men and get this man some armor," he points at Nick, "he is the closest to an expert on the facility we have who also has combat training. Tyler," the Elder hesitates for a second, "son, tell Rothchild that it is time for a field test of Liberty."

Finally, Nick thinks as he is lead to the armory. Finally I can put this whole thing to rest. I can do what I was pushed out of the vault to do. I can finish what my Father started. I can make sure that this world, my home, is at least a little bit better off. If I must die the same as my family, my Mother and Father, then I will. I will make this surface a little better for those who emerge from the vault. I will make sure of this one thing. I will save this fucking wasteland, even if I have to slaughter every single living thing in my path to do it. Nick steps into the suit of power armor that is offered to him with this resolution.

* * *

Tyler climbs to the surface with the rest of his group behind him. For the attack on the Purifier, Sarah decided that they need to move forward in two groups. She and hers will move along the surface, taking the bridge across the basin, while Tyler leads a second group through the water to ambush the Enclave behind their lines. At first, Tyler hotly disagreed with this idea, until he realized Sarah's group would have some serious fire support in the form of a massive nuke throwing robot named Liberty Prime.

Behind him, Nick and Luther gaze up at the towering machine with gaping mouths. Despite having grown up around the thing, even Tyler has to admit that he is impressed by the robots shear size and power. "Democracy, is non-negotiable. The fall of all communists, imminent."

"Damn," Luther whispers as they watch the robot begin its route towards the Purifier, "I do not envy the bastards who..." Liberty Prime reaches behind his back and equips a nuke, which it then tosses clear across the basin at a barricade manned by Enclave snipers. "Yep, they are boned." Tyler signals to his group, comprised of Luther, Nick, Fawkes, and two Brotherhood knights. They move forward and descend into the water.

The heavy power armor suits cause them to all sink to the bottom. The water is murky and up above the sun has already set, making visibility all the worse. Their huds direct them in the general direction, but Tyler knows this half of the attack is the biggest gamble, while the other is the biggest risk. He has to keep reminding himself that Sarah has done fine without him all this time and that she can handle this on her own.

Fawkes, too big to fit into a power armor suit, is held down by Luther and Nick as they walk. Occasionally they have to release him so as he can swim up to the surface to get a breath of air before quickly descending again. Progress is slow, and all they can see above are signs of heavy combat. Bright flashes of explosions, streaks of energy going both ways, rubble sailing into the water all around them. Tyler feels a cold sweat break out as a body in power armor sinks to the ground in front of them. He looks down, his headlamp illuminating an Enclave soldier with a massive scorch hole right through his chest and suit. Tyler shudders, Liberty Prime is perhaps too powerful.

As they near their destination, Tyler signals for them to move further along the water. He knows that they are likely in the correct position, but wants to make sure. It adds three minutes to their time, and he hopes to all heaven that Sarah and her men can hold out a little longer. They all equip their weapons and start to surface. Fawkes is the fist to shore and they can all see him start lighting up the Enclave with his gatling laser. Tyler is up next. He emerges from the water with his energy rifle at the ready. He has modified the gun heavily, it is automatic with a beam splitting muzzle. It has poor range, but anything in range is quickly disintegrated by rapid laser rounds.

Luther and Nick emerge at the same time and they let loose with their precision rifles, picking off Enclave solders from a distance. Next come the two knights. Both of them are carrying heavy rocket launchers and begin peppering the battle field with explosions. During the fighting, Tyler spots a barrier placed across the access point to the Memorial. Beyond it he can see the Pride pinned down by Enclave soldiers defending the energy barrier. As he watches, Liberty Prime steps over the defending Enclave soldiers and assesses the barrier. "Lithium Ion shielding. Strength, 100%. Probability of hindrance to mission, 0%!" Prime grabs the pylons of the Barrier and rips them up out of the ground.

The remaining Enclave soldiers retreat back into the memorial. A sentry bot activates and Tyler curses as a missile just barely misses him. He jumps to his feet and charges the sentry. The machines mini gun comes to life and sprays hot lead in his direction, but his armor soaks up most of the damage. Tyler gets in close and jams his rifle up under the bots outer armor and squeezes the trigger down. Wires and gears melt under his assault, but the bot swings one of its massive arms and sends him flying through the air. He lands with a heavy oomf and struggles to get back to his feet.

He spots Luther and Nick move into position behind the bot and fire at its fusion core power cells. The bot turns its attention on them and fires its remaining missiles. Tyler doesn't see if they get clear in time. He rises to a kneeling position and opens fire. Most of his scattered shots miss the bot, but enough hit it to gain its attention. The bot rolls forwards and Tyler shifts his aim to its front support lead. The tread on the leg flares and goes out, followed soon by the hydraulics required for it to work, but the bot continues limping towards him.

The Knights with the heavy launchers empty their remaining rockets in the sentry's direction, blasting off some of the bots chest armor. The bot turns towards them and its mini gun begins to spin up before firing. Tyler's mind flashes back to when he lost his men, how they were being cut down and he ordered them to stand their ground. He lets out a roar and charges the sentry for a second time, not caring what happens to him anymore. He leaps through the air and slams into the bot at full speed. The bot, only having two working support legs, topples to the side. Tyler twists around and fires relentlessly into the bots fusion core power cells. The cells start glowing and he knows what is going to happen, but he keeps shooting. The whole machine starts to glow and shake, then it explodes.

* * *

Luther's ears are ringing. He sits up and realizes most of the systems in his power armor are shot. He ejects himself and clambers out. Rubble has buried him and he has to claw his way up to the surface. His head emerges and his eyes are treated to the battle field still raging around him. He sees Tyler charge the sentry head on and knock the machine onto its side. Luther panics as he realizes what his partner intends to do. He struggles to get free of the rubble, but it is too late. The sentry explodes with Tyler still clinging to it. Tyler's body is sent sailing through the air and crashes against the side of the Memorial. Luther stares, willing for there to be some sing of life. Movement, a curse, anything! but there is nothing.

 _No. No. No, no, no, no, NO! He isn't dead! That man, ghoul, person doesn't die! Nothing can kill him! They killed him! The Enclave killed him! Forget everything We have talked about! Burn them! Burn them all in hell!_

Dead. Tyler is dead. Luther's vision is filled with the color red as he looks at the Memorial that contains the Purifier. He starts ragging. "You bastards! You fucking inbread sons of bitches! I will kill every last one of you degenerate scumbags!" Hands grab his arms and easily hoist him out of the rubble. He turns his head and sees Fawkes holding him up while a bloodied and power armor less Nick provides covering fire. "We have to get in there!" Luther roars at them. "We have to make them fucking pay!"

"My friend," Fawkes growls, "this is why I stand with you!"

Nick looks at him and Luther can see the bloodlust in the man's eyes and beside him his hound has appeared, covered in enough blood to fill a bathtub. Somehow, in the middle of chaos, that mutt always shows up. "You will have to get into line behind me Luther. I am claiming more than half of those fuckers lives!" Then Nick charges and Luther jumps up to go with him. Fawkes lets out a laugh and joins them. Someone is screaming some terrifying battle cry, and it may be Luther himself, but he isn't sure. The three of them burst through the memorial door and plasma round fly towards them. Luther ducks and weaves through the rounds. His rifle is forgotten. This time, he wants it to be personal.

He leaps a low barrier and rips the helmet off of a soldier. He lifts the helmet above his head and smashes it down into the man's face. A round catches him in the chest, but the leather of his gear sheds most of the plasma damage. Good thing he isn't wearing metal. He jumps forward with a savage snarl and wrestles the soldier's weapon away. He turns the weapon in his hand and uses it like a bat to beat the man into the ground. He turns the weapon again and shoves it into a weak point of the armor. He fires, and the plasma slowly begins eating away at the gear. He fires again and again until he can finally hear the tortured screams of the soldier beneath.

Discarding the weapon, he picks up a nearby ripper lying next to a dead soldier and searches for his next target. The other Enclave soldiers in the hall are all already dead, Nick or Fawkes' doing. Sprinting to catch up, he enters a room and throws himself into the fight. His ripper tears through the exposed sections of one soldier's arm, sawing the appendage clean off. The soldier howls in pain and Luther quickly removes the head. A Soldier grabs him from behind and lifts him off the ground in a bone crushing grip. Luther manages to turn himself and get his hands into the armor. He rips out some wiring and electrical shocks go through both him and the soldier.

They each hit the ground and Luther rolls to his feet. He leaps onto the downed soldier and tears his fusion core out, leaving him defenseless. The man ejects from his armor and gets out from a kick Luther had aimed at his feet. The man jumps up and raises his fists. Luther whirls on him, ready to tear his face off, but stops when he recognizes the soldier. The two of them worked an opp together once. Luther saved this man's live once. The man glares at him, and Luther glares back, neither one making a move. Luther takes a step backwards, and the man charges. Luther braces for the attack, but the man never reaches him. Instead a knife pierces the side of his head and topples to the ground.

Luther stares blankly at the knife, not understanding what just has just happened. He looks up, and sees Tyler leaning against the wall, clothes burned, covered in blood, but alive. "No fucking robot is going to do me in." Luther jumps to his partners side and digs around for a stimpack. "Knock it off," Tyler growls, "Where is Nick and the others? I saw Sarah come in here before me. Have you seen them?"

Luther shakes his head, "We got separated during the fighting. I didn't see Sarah at all." The building shudders and both of them look in the direction of the Purifier. Luther takes Tyler's arm and helps him towards the door. They enter the room to see Nick holding a gun to Colonel Autumn's head. All around are the dismembered bodies of Enclave soldiers. They look as through they have had their arms torn clean off. Judging from the amount of blood he is covered in, Luther guesses Nick is responsible for all the bloody carnage.

"Luther!" Autumn shouts in a desperate tone. "Stop him! He is insane!"

 _Autumn!_

The voice in his head sounds sinister.

 _Make him pay! He killed your family! He killed Nick's family! His men tried to kill Tyler and you! Make. Him. Pay._

"With Pleasure." He growls. Luther steps up to Nick and pulls the ripper from his belt. He looks at Nick, "I'll let you kill him, but I am going to make him hurt for everything he has done first." Nick nods and steps back. Luther crouches down in front of Autumn and looks the man in the eyes. "Colonel, I can tell you honestly, you are a degenerate scum. I hate degenerates." The screams of the Colonel echo through the Memorial. In Luther's mind, the man is getting exactly what he deserves, and then some.

* * *

Nick examines the control room locked behind the bulkhead. Behind him Sarah Lyons is speaking with Madison Li through an intercom. Nick can hear them arguing about the situation. The control room is still flooded with the same radiation that killed his Father a few days ago. Autumn did something before they arrived that is causing the entire facility to overload. If they don't move fast, they will loose the Purifier and likely all die in the explosion. Someone is going to have to go into the irradiated control room and manually put in the code to activate the Purifier before it goes critical. Only one major problem, besides sure death, no one actually knows the code.

"Let me go in!" Tyler adds. "I am already turning into a ghoul. The radiation won't affect me as badly. If anything, it may heal my wounds and keep me alive a little longer."

"No," Luther growls, "prolonged exposure for a ghoul will only speed up the process. You would go feral before you could even begin punching in the code. Which you don't know!"

"I should go." Sarah says as she turns to Tyler and touches his face. "This is my mission. I am the highest ranking officer here. I should be the one to go in. It is what any good commander would do."

Luther again shakes his head. "No way in hell are any of you going in there! This has all happened because of the Enclave! I am the reason any of us are here! I took the GECK from vault 87! I gave the Enclave what it needed to make this place into a weapon! They even gave me a serum that can wipe out any and all irradiated life forms! This is my fault, my problem, I have to be the one to fix it!"They all start shouting over each other.

Nick Leans down and looks at Dogmeat. The dog is looking up at him with big sad eyes. "Take care of them will you boy?" he rubs the dogs head and Dogmeat licks his fingers, whimpering softly. Nick steps away from them and into the clean room. He pulls a lever and the bulkhead closes, cutting him off from the others. Luther's head snaps up at the sound and his eyes lock with Nick's. Nick holds his gaze for a few seconds, but then looks away. "Nick!" Luther screams, pounding against the bulkhead, "what the hell are you doing?"

"I am finishing what my Father started. I am doing what I came to the surface to do. I never would have made it without you Luther. Or you Tyler. The two of you are the only family I have left. I will gladly die to make sure you have a better future." Nick pulls the second lever and the bulkhead separating him from the control room lifts up. Luther and the other shout something, but he cannot hear them. The radiation hits him like a wall, forcing him to his knees. He looks down at his arm and sees the hair shrivel up and fall away.

He crawls forward, dragging himself along the floor towards the control panel where he has to put in the code. Thoughts race through his head. He sees the battle they just fought. He sees Amata's tear streaked face as she banishes him for a second time. He sees his Father's face as he tells him to run. Bryan as they find his Aunt, Little Maria as they give her to Lucy. He sees Vance and his people, Lucas Simms and Megaton. He recalls the faces of all the slaves who looked to him for salvation, and he left the to pursue his own revenge. Then another memory comes back. His Father, reading to him from the bible. "Revelation 21, verse 6. I am alpha and omega, the beginning, and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountains of the water of life, freely."

Nick pulls himself up to the panel and pushes in the numbers. two, one, six. The purifier hums to life and the water in the viewing chamber begins to clear. Inside he can now make out the form of Jefferson, the man who this Memorial was built for. Nick falls to his knees again, unable to hold himself up any longer. The radiation is burning his flesh. His skin bubbles and melts. His vision is all but gone now. He collapses to the floor and looks to the bulkhead. He can see the faces of his family beyond. Luther, Tyler, Sarah. In his mind he also see Charon, and Clover. Then he sees Dogmeat, pressed up against the glass, whimpering. His heart breaks at the thought of leaving his friend behind, but it is over now.

I did it Dad, he thinks, I finally finished it all. It is over. The wasteland has its water. His vision begins to go back, but something pulls at his thoughts as he slips away. There are the bodies of the dead Enclave people from when his Dad sealed himself in here, but where is his Dad's body? Finally the darkness takes him. He closes his eyes, content with what life has given him. Goodbye.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

The three men sit at the bar in silence. Beside them Three Dog speaks over the radio. "You heard it right Kitties, the Enclave is finally gone! Its been six weeks! Six weeks since our friends in the Brotherhood kicked those Enclave bastards out of Project Purity and started that baby chugging. Thats right, the caravans are coming, fresh and clean water for all! But isn't all, oh no, the Brothers and Sisters in Power Armor did one better and hunted those Enclave fools down to their last holdout at Adam's Air Force Base, and gave them their walking papers. Who could have done all this you ask? None other than that crazy guy from the vault, now know to us as the Wastelands one true hero!"

One of the men at the bar chuckles. He is wearing mismatched and worn combat armor over top a beat up leather jacket. His head is wrapped in a red bandanna and covered with a wide brim hat similar to what the regulators wear. A pair of dark aviators covers his eyes and at his feet is a large black and grey hound. "The Wasteland Hero? Odd title for someone to have, don't you think?"

The man sitting next to him nods his head. "I agree, I would have gone for something like the Seeker, or the neutral." This man is clad in a long duster with many holes and patches in it. The duster has many pockets, in which the man could store nearly everything he would ever need. Across the mans back is a long bolt action rifle with a new scope on it. The man's hair and beard are ragged and unkempt, as if he cuts it with a rusty knife. "Hero sound way to righteous."

The final man scoffs, "It is fucking well deserved all right? The Hero did do all the tings Three Dog says he did, he just had some help is all." This man is clad in heavy metal armor with leather padding underneath. His hair is thin and his face appears slightly ghoulish. His voice has a slight rasp, making him seem even more like a ghoul. "Sometimes the best people need some help, and trust me, when this, 'hero', first showed up, he really needed some help."

The first man nods his head, "I agree, he didn't know a pistol from a revolver."

The second man shakes his head, "Your sudden fascination with older modeled weapons still doesn't make any sense to me."

The first turns to the second, "So says the mercenary who refuses to part with a weapon that needs almost constant attention."

The third man scoffs again, "Neither one of you know anything about weapons, you have to have a scatter gun if you want to do any real fighting."

The three of them descend into a light argument about the fundamentals of combat. The other patrons of the bar mostly ignore them. The ghoul bartender continuously fills all three of their glasses, but the second man drinks considerably less than the other two. Just when it looks like their argument is going to get physical, a woman dressed in a grey flannel and jeans walks in. The three men stop arguing and the first stands to greet here. "Hey Jane, how did that delivery go?"

The woman similes at him, "Good, no problems outside of the usual. You know, raider clans fighting for control of bathrooms and Supermutants trying to beat me in a game of chess, the normal run down. How is your farewell party going Nick?"

Nick smiles at the woman and looks over his shoulder at the other two men. Luther flashes him a rare genuine smile that is actually warm instead of terrifying, and Tyler nods his head. "Good so far, Luther is actually having a few drinks without torturing himself about it and Tyler is somehow still sober." All four laugh, but there is a slight note of sadness in the sound.

"So," Jane says, "you ready to hit the road?"

Nick looks at Luther and Tyler, "Yeah, time for me to move on." He shakes hands with both of the other men, doing his absolute best not to show too much emotion around them. "Take care of yourselves, will you?"

Tyler laughs softly, "When have we ever done anything else?"

Luther takes Nicks shoulders, "You don't actually have to go you know, you could easily stay, live off the royalties from being a hero."

Nick shakes his head. "You know better than that. You two managed to fly under Three Dog's radar because you didn't have a story that would make his show sound mysterious, I do. I don't want to be the center of attention. Besides, I stick around too long I will end up fat and lazy and with a contract on my head. I have made one to many enemies here in way to short of a time. I need to get away, let people forget me for a while, the maybe I can come back."

Tyler shakes his head. "You are a fool if you think you can go anywhere and fly under the radar forever. Trouble and danger are attracted to you like flies are attracted to a pile of brahmin shit. You can't escape it. But I get where you are coming from."

Nick nods and turns back to Jane, "Right then, lets get going, shall we?" He whistles and Dogmeat picks himself up off the floor and trots alongside him as they leave Megaton. Jane turns west and Nick follows her lead. "So," he starts after a while, curious about his new partner and the life she leads as a courier, "where exactly are we headed, boss?"

Jane looks over her shoulder and flashes him a smile, "West. I want to show you the Mojave, I think you will fit in there, what with that hat and those shinny new revolvers of yours."

Nick pats the weapons and smiles, "Hey, got to look the part." As he walks, he thinks back to the speech Luther gave him last night before they started their celebration. The way war is fought may change. The people who fight wars may change. But war itself never changes. It is ever present, ever ready. All it takes is a small spark to ignite the fires of war. Yet you always have a choice. You choose who you fight for, where you stand. At the end of the day, that is what you have to hold on to. That is what is worth fighting a war for. Your power to choose. Nick smiles as he leaves the Capital Wasteland, he is ready for his next war.

 **There it is, it is finally over. It has taken almost a year, but is done. I really hope you all enjoyed this and you can expect the beginning of a sequel soon. Leave a review, let me know what I need to improve and what you liked. Thank you for reading this far, you freaking rock!**


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